Can American Men Turn the Corner in 2015?

Last week, we looked at the young talent on the women’s side of American tennis. It is no secret that the progress on the men’s side has taken a step back over the last couple of years. Only two singles titles were won by an American this past year, as John Isner won in both New Zealand and Atlanta, and only five players finished inside the top 100.

Despite Isner’s two titles, he did not progress much either in 2014, a year when many expected him to have a big season. He dropped five spots in the world rankings since the beginning of 2014 and currently finds himself ranked at 19th in the world.

The lack of American impact players was never more evident than at this year's U.S. Open. The men's field featured just 12 Americans, and not a single one was able to get out of the third-round of a tournament that so many American tennis fans take pride in. Isner, along with Sam Querrey, were able to make it to the third round in Flushing Meadows, but both of their title hopes were dashed in round three.

So, as we enter the new season, 2015 is a very important season for American tennis. While the Williams Sisters have dominated the women’s game for more than a decade, the men’s game is still seeking its first Grand Slam title since Andy Roddick won the U.S. Open in 2003.

Below are five U.S. born players who will need to take their games to the next level in 2015.

John Isner
John Isner is currently the highest ranked American by a decent margin. At 19th in the world, the 6'11'' Isner dropped five spots in the rankings from the start of 2014, despite winning a couple of titles (in New Zealand and Atlanta). It was his performance in Grand Slams that were the problem for Isner, who failed to get out of the fourth-round of any of the four majors.

The Atlanta native began 2014 by winning the year's first tournament. He was able to raise the trophy in Auckland, New Zealand, defeating Chinese Taipei's Yen-Hsun Lu, 7-6(4), 7-6(7) in the final. He would go on to win one more title, the BB&T Atlanta Open in his hometown, beating Dudi Sela of Israel 6-3, 6-4 for his ninth career ATP trophy. 

Isner's serve has always been his strength. At nearly seven feet tall, Isner fired 989 aces this past year, good for third most on the ATP Tour. It is the consistency and all-around game that the 29-year-old needs to fine-tune if he wants to make more noise at Grand Slams. 

He hopes to do that in 2015 under the direction of a new head coach, former player and Tennis Channel commentator Justin Gimelstob. While a number of different players have gone the way of a "super coach" for the upcoming year, Isner tagged the former mixed-doubles Grand Slam champion Gimelstob as his coach. 

Isner will his campaign in 2015 on Jan. 12, in defense of his Heineken Open title in Auckland.  

Sam Querrey
Sam Querrey has been on the brink of becoming a star for the last couple of years now, but took a bit of a step back in 2014. He posted a 28-21 match record and missed some time due to injury, failing to win a single title. He will enter 2015 ranked 35th in the world.

His 2014 was up and down, but he seemed to find his form over the middle of the year. He reached the semifinals in Houston, notching wins over Lleyton Hewitt and Dustin Brown before withdrawing in the semis. He would reach the Round of 16 at the Queens Club tournament before losing to Stan Wawrinka. 

At the end of the summer, Querrey played some of the world's best. He lost to Japan's Kei Nishikori in three sets in Washington, D.C., and fell to top-ranked Novak Djokovic in the third-round of the U.S. Open in September. 

So heading into the new year, Querrey's biggest focus needs to be on consistency. Like Isner, he has one of the top serves in the game and is an excellent baseline player, but his game needs to be tightened up. Look for Querrey to make major strides in 2015 as he seeks his eighth career title. 

Steve Johnson
Steve Johnson was one of the most improved players on the entire ATP Tour in 2014. The Orange, Calif. product began the season ranked 160th in the world, and concluded it ranked 37th, a remarkable rise of 123 spots in the ATP Men's Singles Rankings. The 25-year-old could be due for another excellent year as we enter 2015.

He spent a bulk of the season on the Challengers Tour, posting a record of 21-5. In doubles, he reached his first final, pairing with Querrey, in Atlanta before losing to the team of fellow American Jack Sock & Vasek Pospisil.

Despite only going 19-20 on the WTA Tour during the year, Johnson seemed to raise his play against the tougher opponents. The main reason for his rankings improvement came from his four wins against the world’s top 20, including a win over fellow American Isner in the round of 32 in Washington, D.C. Johnson would go on to the quarters of that tournament before falling to top 10 Canadian Milos Raonic in four sets.

As we enter 2015, Johnson carries in his highest singles ranking of his career. If last year was any indication of the 25-year-old’s development, this upcoming season could see him crack the top 20.

Jack Sock
The 22-year old from America’s heartland is an intriguing prospect heading into 2015. Jack Sock enters the year with his highest singles ranking of his career at number 42 in the world, but it was his play in doubles, most notably at Wimbledon over the summer, that made Sock a known name in American tennis.

Pairing up with Vasek Pospisil, the duo knocked off dominant Americans Bob & Mike Bryan in an epic Wimbledon final. They became the third doubles team in the 21st Century to win at Wimbledon on their tour-level debut.

In the U.S. Open Series, Sock’s singles play seemed to take form. He reached back-to-back semifinals in Newport and Atlanta, notching a win over Isner in the process. He reached the Round of 32 at Roland Garros, beating fellow American Steve Johnson before falling to Serbian Dusan Lajovic in straight sets. He also notched a win over then sixth-ranked Kei Nishikori in Shanghai.

Unfortunately, Sock will begin his campaign on the sidelines. He has already announced his withdrawal from the Australian Open after undergoing hip surgery.  If the young American is able to bounce back from the injury in a timely fashion, expect him to notch some wins over big-time opponents in 2015.

Donald Young
Donald Young has been an enigma since breaking onto the scene a few years ago. He made it to the fourth-round of the U.S. Open in 2011, and reached a career-high ranking of 38th in the world in February of 2012. Since then, his ranking has dipped, and he enters 2015 ranked 57th on the ATP Tour.

He got a wild-card entry into the Australian Open last January, and was able to knock off the 24th-seeded Andrea Seppi to reach the third-round. He eventually lost to Nishikori in the third round, but was able to win a couple of Grand Slam matches. Young would make the third-round of the French Open before falling to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

His best showing came at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., where he knocked off three top-50 players in Julien Benneteau, Denis Istomin and Kevin Anderson on his way to a trip to the semifinals. He would eventually fall to Milos Raonic in the semifinals, but was able to put a few top wins under his belt.

Still just 25-years-old, Young is due for a breakout season. He has had a few years on the ATP Tour and that experience could play a factor as 2015 unfolds.