That there are more players from Serbia in the top 25 of the ATP Tour rankings than Americans isn’t cause for a John McEnroe-type outburst.
Instead, some in the sport consider it a compliment to the state of the game. Though there are reasons to be concerned about the Americans poor showing, it’s time to realize the world has caught up.
“If you look at other sports, it’s not that different than basketball,” said former pro Justin Gimelstob, who now is an announcer for the Tennis Channel. “Who would have expected to see so many international players drafted now? We are competing with best athletes from so many countries. Unfortunately we are going in the wrong direction.”
Most know the two Americans: No. 9 Mardy Fish, the defending champ at the Atlanta Tennis Championships, and No. 10 Andy Roddick, also known for his good looks and supermodel wife. Other than world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, can you name the other two Serbians?
It gets a little worse for the red, white and blue, unless you are also a fan of the blue, white and red. Even France has more players (five) in the top 50 than does the United States.
It takes a screen scroll to reach the next American: former Georgia standout John Isner, at No. 35. Sam Querrey is next at 50.
“We’re just not hungry enough,” fan R.L. Hefner said after surveying a tournament bracket hanging at the Racquet Club of the South in Norcross, site of the ATC.
American men are winning tournaments: Roddick won in Memphis in February. Ryan Sweeting won in Houston. Isner recently won in Newport.
American men aren’t winning the tournaments that matter, the Grand Slams that come with trophies full of ranking points. Roddick was the last to win one of tennis’ big four: the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open. That victory occurred in New York in 2003.
Gimelstob said the eight-year drought can be attributed to two stars from Europe: Switzerland’s Roger Federer, who has won more Grand Slams (16) than any other player, and Spain’s Rafael Nadal, a 10-time Slam winner who won most of what Federer didn’t. Add in Djokovic, who has won 10 tournaments in the past year, including Wimbledon and the Australian Open to bring his Grand Slam total to three, and it’s easy to see why the United States is experiencing the wrong kind of “love.”
“We just need to recalibrate expectations,” Gimelstob said. “I respect that Americans demand to see players competing at the top of the game. There’s no reason to panic to just yet, but there are reasons to be concerned about when the next American Grand Slam singles champion will be. It’s disappointing and problematic.”
There is hope in the form of players such as Ryan Harrison and Denis Kudla, talented teenagers who are steadily climbing the rankings. The powers that be recognize that U.S. tennis, is, as Gimelstob described, “in flux, recalibrating.”
Patrick McEnroe, general manager in charge of player development for the USTA since 2008, agrees that the United States is falling behind. However, he is working to fix the problems. In addition to training centers in Florida and California, another opened in New York. The USTA is giving seed money and lending coaching expertise to various sites around the country, including the Racquet Club of the South, so that they can train players between the ages of 8 and 12 in as many as six camps a year.
The training center in Florida is a dormitory school, allowing players to live there. Groups of young players train together with the hope of creating another golden generation, such as the one led by John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors, who combined to win 15 Slams, and Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, who combined to won 22.
Patrick McEnroe said he is seeing progress. A coach took a group of 15- and 16-year-old players to compete at a clay-court tournament in Italy earlier this year. When they arrived, an opposing coach asked the U.S. coach why his team was there, implying that they lacked the skills and toughness. Two Americans made it to the championship.
“We think it’s working,” McEnroe said. “The reality is it will take another four to five years. In the meantime we are helping the Sam Querreys, the Mardy Fishes and the Ryan Harrisons. The real results will probably be in the next three to five years.”
The goal, he said, is to get more Americans into the top 100 and competing for Grand Slams.
“I think we have a lot of talented and good kids,” he said. “As a coach, we need to do a better job of coaching and training. There are a lot of kids who are 16, 17, and 18 that can become great tennis players.”
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