It’s 9 pm in Melbourne, Australia, 5 am on the east coast of the United States, and watching the men’s finals of the Australian Open makes one wonder what happened to the once-great U.S. tennis players. There was one point in time when the Yanks used to rule these major tournaments, and being in the semis or finals was a foregone conclusion. Times have certainly changed.
Despite Serena Williams losing her final on Saturday, to a clearly unproven and first-time Grand Slam opponent, the U.S. is still in pretty good hands on the women’s side of the draw. The problem remains the men, where it seems that there is no up and coming “star” on the horizon – to bring championships back home like several decades ago, when we totally dominated the sport of tennis throughout the world.
Just look at the latest ATP top 100 tennis rankings, and it’s far and few between for the U.S. men. Out of the entire list, only seven Americans made the rankings, and the closest to the top is John Isner at #11, with Rajeev Ram rounding out the bottom at number 93. In between is a list of who’s who that even the most avid tennis buff couldn’t name. This is certainly a sad state of affairs for a proud program that produced the likes of John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, and Andy Roddick, just to name a few.
The fact is that Roddick was the last U.S. player ranked #1 in the world – but that was in 2003 – thirteen years ago. But who’s counting? Not everyone remembers the good old days, when the likes of Johnny Mac and Connors ruled the court–and just about every major tournament worldwide. One must ask themselves why the sudden drop in men’s championship tennis in the United States – and is there ever going to be a time like we had years ago?
Perhaps we can look at tennis as a sport of the elite – something that can only be learned in tennis clubs, where white shorts and new kicks are not only necessary, but required. Let’s face it, you don’t really see tennis clinics and clubs springing up in the major urban centers throughout the States – where basketball, football, and baseball seem to rule the day. Is it because tennis is more an individual game, like swimming, where it’s easier for kids to become part of the culture their parents had when they were kids?
If that’s the case, then the reason and outcome are very sad. Not everyone can be a “country club” kid, and even those in middle class neighborhoods may not have the wherewithal or resources to fund a tennis team, or get lessons, much less find a coach willing to teach kids the fundamentals of a forehand or backhand. In fact, the popularity of the game has waned considerably in this country, and folks either watching or participating seems to be a long lost art. So, what’s the answer and the future of tennis in America – for both men and women?
The NFL, MLB, NBA, and even the NHL, have gone out of their way to include kid-friendly programs and clinics in their season, and have many of their star players participate in the drills – so the kids actually get to see their heroes in action, working with them, and teaching them a game that they have had the opportunity and privilege to be a part of – regardless of their socio-economic background. There are many current tennis stars that can do the same thing – and the Williams sisters are perfect example, who grew up in a very tough Los Angeles neighborhood, but made it out to become the best of the best in the world. In this country, the opportunities for young kids are endless. They just need mentoring.
No one is saying that it doesn’t already exist somewhere throughout the U.S., but it may be something that needs to be expanded, branded, and brought to schools and towns all over, where some kids thrive on individual talent over that of team sports. Tennis is fun to watch, and this morning’s early Australian Open Finals was a show of two of the best non-American players in the world, doing what they do best – showing off their craft and gifted ability to the rest of the world. One can only hope that they, and others of their talent and caliber, will be able to share that gift with those who may not be future tennis stars, but at least given the opportunity to chase a dream.
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