Tag: American Men’s Tennis

USTA Men’s Player Development Missing In Action

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Wimbledon 2013 began on Monday June 24, and by Thursday June 27, the 11 American men entrants had been dismissed.

First round losers and their birth years included:

  • Steve Johnson  1989
  • Ryan Harrison  1992
  • Wayne Odesnik  1985
  • James Blake  1979
  • Sam Querrey  1987
  • Alex Kuznetsov  1987
  • Michael Russell 1978

These seven players captured 8 sets while losing 24.

The second round was even more depressing as the remaining four players won only 1 set. Second round losers and their birth years included:

  • Bobby Reynolds  1982
  • Denis Kudia  1992
  • John Isner  1985
  • Rajeev Ram  1984

These 11 American men are tremendous athletes – that is not the issue. Since its inception the USTA has spent millions of dollars on player development without producing any Grand Slam competitors or winners.  A closer look at birth years of America’s top men players shows that most are in the same age range as the current top 10 in the world.  In other words, they are closer to retirement than to winning a Grand Slam.  Querrey and Isner are currently ranked in the top 25 (closer to 25 than 1), but they are not serious competitors for a Grand Slam title.

A look at the top 10 men players in the world and their birth years shows:

  • Novak Djokovic  1987
  • Andy Murray  1987
  • Roger Federer  1981
  • David Ferrer  1982
  • Rafael Nadal  1986
  • Tomas Berdych  1985
  • Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 1985
  • Juan Martin Del Potro 1988
  • Richard Gasquet  1986
  • Stanislas Wawrinka  1985.

Only Steve Johnson, Ryan Harrison, and Denis Kudia provide a glimmer of hope for the future.  Looking further down the food chain, the top American juniors include Noah Rubin (third round loser at the French Open), Stefan Kozlov (second round loser at the French Open), and Spencer Papa and Luca Corentelli (first round losers at the French Open).

The future of American men’s tennis is very clear. The USTA Men’s Player Development has not been ready for prime time for a long time – if ever. That is not likely to change in the months ahead.

 

American Men Have Weak Performance at French Open

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The performance of the American men at the 2013 French Open was at the opposite end of the spectrum from the women. Ten players entered the tournament, four made it to the second round, and two played their final match in the third round. Combined, they had a total of six wins and three losses.

Unfortunately, the outlook for the future is more of the same.  Only 4 of the 10 American entrants were born after 1990, i.e. they are less than 23 years of age.

The record and birth year of the American men follows:

First round losers (0-1)

  • Alex Kuznetsov,  1987
  • Michael Russell, 1978
  • Rhyne Williams, 1991
  • Steve Johnson, 1989
  • James Blake, 1979
  • Denis Kudia, 1992.

Second round losers (1-1)

  • Jack Sock, 1992
  • Ryan Harrison, 1992

Third round losers (2-1)

  • John Isner, 1985
  • Sam Querrey, 1987.

Without a doubt, every player on this list is a talented player. Unfortunately none of them have made a name for themselves as consistently strong performers in the Grand Slams.

Will we see a breakthrough performance for the American men in the 2013 Wimbledon? Can John Isner’s big serve carry him to a strong performance? Will one of the younger players advance into the third or fourth rounds?  Not likely.