Sam Querrey failed to pick up a Grand Slam title during his 18-year professional career, but came close on several occasions.
The American star enjoyed the majority of his Grand Slam success on the grass courts of Wimbledon.
After making his first major quarterfinal in 2016, Querrey qualified for the semifinals a year later, where he fell to Marin Cilic in four sets.
Photo by Nic Bothma – Pool/Getty Images
He reached another quarterfinal in 2019, but only ever qualified for the last eight at one other Grand Slam.
Doing so at the US Open, Querrey now recalls the ‘one and only time’ he thought he had a chance to win the tournament.
Sam Querrey thought he could win the 2017 US Open
At the 2017 US Open, Querrey made an impressive run through to the quarterfinals, where he met South Africa’s Kevin Anderson.
2017 US Open 1R – Sam Querrey defeated Gilles Simon, 6-4, 6-3, 6-42017 US Open 2R – Sam Querrey defeated David Sela, 6-4, 6-1, 6-42017 US Open 3R – Sam Querrey defeated Radu Albot, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-42017 US Open 4R – Sam Querrey defeated Mischa Zverev, 6-2, 6-2, 6-1
Watching back his quarterfinal match with Anderson on Instagram, Querrey reflected on what he believes to be his best-ever US Open campaign.
“A little late to the party with the US Open just ending, but I’m going to show it anyway,” he said.
“2017 US Open, I’m playing Kevin Anderson in the quarterfinals.
“This was the one and only time I thought I could win the tournament because I was hitting shots like that.
“Look at that passing shot! That’s like 20 feet behind the baseline, and I find the room.”
Querrey dropped the first set to Anderson in a tiebreaker, but fought back in the second.
“Alright, I lost the first 7-6, second set, 6-6 in the breaker. Look at the defence, more defence, more defence! Nothing is getting by me, I’m a wall, Kevin’s going to smash… It’s long!” said Querrey.
“He missed it, that gives me a set point on my own serve, I don’t get it, but here we are anyway at 10-9, that’s going to sail long, and now we find ourselves at one set all.
“How good do I look in the blue? Probably my all-time favorite shirt with FILA. My wife is stressed, maybe she’s mad, we don’t know.
“But either way, we’re in a third now.
Querrey failed to win another set, as he reflected upon several points where he wasn’t aggressive enough.
“Fast forward now, wife is still looking stressed. We’re in a tiebreaker in the fourth, I need this breaker, this is a big point, I need this, Kevin with the drop shot, I get the dink, then I get the get, look at the hands, I’m everywhere, I’m everywhere, I’m nowhere, no! I needed that point so badly. I win that point, I take it to a fifth,” he said.
“But I can’t get it, match point, Kevin, clutch big serve. I escape for the time being.
“Now it’s set point for me, chip the return, I’m in the point, big backhand from Kevin, weak from me, big forehand from Kevin, weak from me, big forehand from Kevin, why am I so tentative?
Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
“Watch this chip… I can’t miss that at set point in the fourth set.
“Here we go, match point Kevin, a little tentative, Kevin just went for it, good backhand from me, I chip it, big forehand from Kevin, and no… don’t miss it, don’t miss it! No! I sail it long.”
Querrey lost to Anderson in four sets, 6-7, 7-6, 3-6, 6-7, failing in his bid to reach the semifinals.
“Kevin into the semis,” said Querrey.
“He beat up on Pablo Carreno Busta, and then lost to Rafa [Nadal] in the finals.
Hoping to improve upon his run to the last eight when he returned in 2018, things didn’t quite go to plan for the big-serving American.
Sam Querrey never won another match at the US Open
Querrey played five more matches at the US Open after reaching the quarterfinals in 2017, losing all five.
YearRound lost inOpponentScore20181RAndreas Seppi7-6, 4-6, 2-6, 1-2 (RET)20191RJuan Ignacio Londero6-3, 1-6, 6-7, 5-720201RAndrey Kuznetsov4-6, 6-7, 2-620211RAlexander Zverev4-6, 5-7, 2-620221RIlya Ivashka6-4, 4-6, 6-7, 3-6Sam Querrey at the US Open post-2017
The American played his final match at Flushing Meadows in 2022, losing to Ilya Ivashka in the first round.
He retired with an 18-16 (53%) record at the US Open, qualifying for just one quarterfinal, back in 2017.