It seems harsh to say, but it is an indisputable fact: the current generation of American men has turned in the most disappointing collective singles performance in the long history of the nation’s marquee tennis tournament. Andy Roddick’s quarterfinal loss Thursday night marks the first time in the 127-year history of the U.S. Open (known as the U.S. Championships from 1881-1967) that no American player has reached the men’s singles semifinals in two consecutive years.

Including the 2004 Open, the men’s semis has been devoid of an American player three of the last five years. It is a result that has happened only seven times since 1881. The only other time an American man has failed to make the semis in the professional Open era of tennis was 1986. The other three instances where Americans failed to reach the final four were the Australian-dominated amateur years of 1958, 1961 and 1966.

Perhaps we have been spoiled by previous generations. American tennis saw two recent eras of glory years from 1968-1984 with Arthur Ashe, Stan Smith, Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe winning a combined eleven Open championships, including seven tournaments in a row from 1978-1984 that either McEnroe or Connors won. (In 1979, all four semifinalists and six of the eight quarterfinalists were Americans). Following an Ivan Lendl-Mats Wilander dominated period in the late eighties, Sampras and Agassi won a combined seven Opens from 1990-2002 (meanwhile, Jim Courier won two French Opens and two Australian Opens).

In 2003, it seemed Roddick’s Open championship would mark a changing of the guard. Instead, it marked the beginning of the end. He has come close to winning a Grand Slam event only twice since, losing to Roger Federer in the finals of Wimbledon 2005 and the 2006 Open.

Or perhaps Roddick and James Blake are as good as players of years past, but the rest of the world has gotten much better. Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are formidable. Whatever the cause, America has become like the hosts of the other Grand Slam events. Every year at the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon, one of the pre-tournament topics is always the same: How long has it been since a countryman has won his native tournament and will someone break the streak? For the U.K, the answer is 72 years (Fred Perry, 1937); Australia, 32 years (Mark Edmondson, 1976); and France, 25 years (Yannick Noah 1983).

We can now add the United States Open to that discussion. It has been five years and counting — with no end seemingly in sight.

Editor’s Note: Source for records is 2008 edition of The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book.