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WIMBLEDON -- The four top-ranked American male singles players -- John Isner, Jack Sock, Steve Johnson and Sam Querrey -- all won their matches at Wimbledon on Thursday. Seventh-best American Donald Young also won his rain-delayed opener.It seems the United States is on the upswing again, possibly rekindling hopes that it will produce a male Grand Slam singles champion again sometime in the near future. The mantra for a long time now has been, The American game is in trouble -- tennis needs a male American champion.The mantra might be irrelevant. It might rest on false premises. It might have been run over and left for roadkill by history.Does it really matter if tennis has a great American male champion, and do tennis fans really care one way or the other?It does help to have one, ESPN TV analyst Chris Evert told us. But now it just adds maybe 10 percent where once it was essential. Look at how beloved Fed [Roger Federer] and [Rafael] Nadal are, and how [Novak] Djokovic is coming into his own. It seems like its enough. And theres all the social media and press that make them more available to the public everywhere than ever before.There has been a global transformation in sports. Kids in Brooklyn are wearing green-and-gold Brazil soccer jerseys as well as New York Mets caps. In Tanzania, kids are running around in LeBron James T-shirts. Tennis fans in all but the most achievement-starved nations support their domestic players, but bestow their true love on a more personality-based footing. Just ask global ambassador-in-chief Roger Federer. His passport says Suisse, but hes really an international crush and beloved brand.Flash back to the second round of the 2013 US Open at Louis Armstrong Stadium. Isner, now leading all US players at No. 17, played Gael Monfils. The Louis Armstrong crowd went into love overload for Monfils. Isner was so angry he muttered that he wanted to go home.That would never happen anywhere else, Johnson, ranked No. 29 in the ATP rankings, said Thursday of the incident after his win against Jeremy Chardy. The average fan maybe now just gets used to champions, whoever they are. Beyond that, he just gets behind who he likes more.In other words, someone left the U.S. barn door open and the horse is gone. Andy Roddick was the last American man to win a major title -- a long time ago at the US Open in 2003. The last Grand Slam at which U.S. men made a great impact was the 2006 US Open. Agassi retired there, Roddick reached the final and lost to Federer, and the American game tanked soon thereafter.That tournament drew 640,000 spectators. But for a blip here or there, the ensuing, fallow years still produced significant growth rather than a downturn. US Open fans seemed to have little trouble moving on. Theres even less urgency now.Given that the TV contracts for the major tournaments are all locked up for a long time, theres no financial pressure on the sport in absence of a U.S. champ, either, Tennis Channel commentator and former world No. 1 Jim Courier told ESPN.com. Whenever I do a sports talk show on radio, some generalist will call and ask why we dont have a Jimmy Connors anymore. But thats a guy whos just missed how international its all become.The lack of American champs hasnt had a noticeable impact on participation, either. Overall tennis participation saw a marginal increase in 2015, up 0.3 percent to 17.96 million players. In 2015, core players (those who played 10 more times that year) grew 0.5 percent to 9.96 million, according to the 2016 Physical Activity Council (PAC) participation study. Ball sales, considered a critical indicator of the games health, were up 1.8 percent.Somehow, tennis avoided a great depression when the American mens game crashed. The unsung heroes of this saga are undoubtedly women players -- specifically, Venus and Serena Williams. Their longevity and success have surrounded the game with layers of bubble wrap.They have carried American tennis for 20 years, Evert said. Theyve really assumed the responsibility well and taken a lot of focus off the men.American male players are somewhat ambivalent on the subject. The media often paints them as carrying a crushing burden of hopes. But as Taylor Fritz, the gifted 18-year-old already ranked No. 65, said in a recent interview with Londons Daily Mail: Lately a lot has shifted on to me, and I understand its important for American tennis. But I dont really care too much about that. Im playing for me, not for any other reason.Querrey, ranked No. 41, told ESPN.com that no one outside press rooms on the tour really comes up and asks him, Whats wrong? When are we going to have another champ?Sock knows there is a younger group coming up, led by Fritz. That group is ready to push Socks group -- which includes Johnson, No. 66 Denis Kudla, and others -- the way theyve pressured Isner and Querrey. Maybe theyll have better luck incubating a Grand Slam champion. Maybe someone will mature late and lock up a big one.For now, the U.S. must be content to possess a solid fleet of players who can compete at a respectable level. It might be better to have a large number of very good, diverse players than one or two great ones. Diamondbacks Jerseys 2020 . Argentina winger Ezequiel Lavezzi and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi scored, with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic setting up both despite having a poor game by his high standards. Forward Eduardo gave Ajaccio the lead in the sixth minute after being set up by right winger Benjamin Andre, and the Corsican side looked comfortable in the first half, with the lively Johan Cavalli causing problems with his probing runs from midfield. Arizona Diamondbacks Pro Shop .com) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season when they host the struggling New York Islanders in tonights clash at the Bell Centre. https://www.cheapdiamondbacksjerseys.us/ . LOUIS -- Theres no telling how these wacky World Series games will end. Diamondbacks Jerseys 2019 . The Croatian served 21 aces and hit 42 winners against Sijsling, who double-faulted to give Cilic a 4-3 lead in the deciding set. "All the players, they know me and they were really happy to see me and they were really happy that this is over for me," Cilic said. Arizona Diamondbacks Gear .C. -- Rodney Hood connected from all over the court while freshman Jabari Parker was busy swatting shots and scoring in transition. BOSTON -- Mookie Betts said it was his greatest moment in baseball. David Price told Hanley Ramirez the same thing.Its an honor, Ramirez said after hitting a three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning to finish off a five-run rally that gave the Boston Red Sox a 7-5 victory over the New York Yankees on Thursday night.Unbelievable comeback, the Boston first baseman added after helping the Red Sox snap a two-game skid and open a two-game lead in the AL East -- knocking their archrivals back in the playoff race at the same time. This one was a moment I really enjoyed. New York took a four-run lead in the third inning and still led 5-1 before David Ortiz hit a solo shot in the eighth. It was the 537th home run of his career, passing Yankees Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle for 17th on baseballs all-time list.Ortiz also had an RBI single off Dellin Betances (3-6) in the ninth to make it 5-3. There were still two on and two outs when Ramirez worked a 3-1 count and then sent the next pitch to straightaway center field.It was the sixth game-ending hit of Ramirezs career and his first for Boston, earning him an ice-water drenching in front of the dugout as the crowd celebrated.Our games with the Yankees are unbelievable games, said Ortiz, the only player left on the roster from the team that rallied from a three-game deficit in the 2004 ALCS against New York and went on to win the franchises first World Series title in 86 years.This game was pretty much on their side, Ortiz added. Its huge, man. Hanley is a guy that has been doing some unbelievable things. Look at the year that hes having. Cant ask for more than that. Hes coming in every day to do something to make things happen.The Red Sox moved two games ahead of Baltimore, which lost 7-6 to Tampa Bay. Instead of improving to three games back in the division, the Yankees face a five-game deficit after losing for the fourth time in five games.They are three behind Baltimore and Toronto in the wild-card race, with Detroit and Seattle both in between.This one hurts, manager Joe Girardi said. Weve got to bounce back tomorrow. We were in a pretty good position going iinto the ninth inning and we werent able to close the deal.ddddddddddddtarlin Castro had four hits and new addition Billy Butler drove in a pair of runs in his Yankees debut.Joe Kelly (3-0) pitched into and out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the top of the ninth, striking out Chase Headley and then getting Mason Williams on a line drive back to the mound.Ortiz had three RBI and three hits -- two for extra bases to give him 1,186 in his career. That tied the slugger with Frank Robinson for 11th on the all-time list for extra-base hits.COLLAPSEGirardi tried to avoid using Betances in the ninth, starting with Tommy Layne for one out and then turning to Blake Parker, who nipped pinch-hitter Chris Young on the top of the helmet with a pitch.Betances, the loser in Wednesdays game against the Dodgers, walked Dustin Pedroia but got the second out when Young tried to score from third on a short grounder and was cut down at home.With the crowd chanting Papi! Papi! Ortiz singled to make it 5-3. Betts singled to make it 5-4, and Gary Sanchezs passed ball put runners on second and third before Ramirez ended it.The fastball that went out was 99 (mph), Girardi said. Everyones tired this time of year. Thats the thing. Its the end of the year. Were fighting for our lives, hes our best guy and I went to him.TRAINERS ROOMYankees: Butler was signed two days after rookie RF Aaron Judge hurt himself taking a swing. He has been put on the 15-day disabled list. Also, right-hander Nathan Eovaldi was transferred to the 60-day DL to make roster room for Butler.Red Sox: Manager John Farrell said he expected Ortiz to start each of the remaining 17 games this season. Ortiz has played in 134 of the first 146 games -- starting 125 -- taking time off along the way to stay healthy at 40 years old. He has not played in 151 games since 2006, and has topped that mark only once in his career.UP NEXTYankees: RHP Luis Cessa (4-1) will start Friday night in Boston.Red Sox: Boston goes with righty Clay Buchholz (6-10). ' ' '