Julius Caeser is credited with saying, “Veni, vidi, vici” (I came, I saw, I conquered). Clearly Caeser was not in charge of the USTA Player Development program.
Of the 12 American players entered in the Australian Open 9 were first round losers (Ryan Harrison, Bradley Klahn, Tim Smyczek, Rhyne Williams, Wayne Odesnik, John Isner, Steve Johnson, and Michael Russell).
- Jack Sock finished the tournament 1-1 and exited in the second round.
- Donald Young and Sam Querrey won 2 matches before bowing out in the third round.
Overall the 12 men won 5 matches and lost 12.
Based on the performance of the U.S. men in this and previous Grand Slam events, it is clear the USTA needs someone with a Julius Caesar mindset to take charge of USTA Player Development.
Note: In 2003 Roger Federer won his first Wimbledon. There have since been 43 Grand Slams Including that event and the most recent Australian Open. Only eight men have won titles during that period:
- Roger Federer 17
- Rafael Nadal 13
- Novak Djokovic 6
- Andy Murray 2
- Stanislas Wawrinka 1
- Juan Martin del Potro 1
- Gaston Gaudio 1
- Andy Roddick 1
- Marat Safin 1
As an aside, Murray defeated Djokovic in the finals of both his Grand Slam victories, del Potro upset Federer in his only Grand Slam victory, and Wawrinka upset Nadal in the most recent Grand Slam. In other words, at least of the trio (Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic) have been in the finals of all but three Grand Slams since the 2003 Wimbledon tournament.
It is safe to say that Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic have dominated the sport for the past decade. Unfortunately, they are only part of the reason the U.S. continue to disappoint in Grand Slams. A major part of the problem is the USTA Player Development program.