{"id":1751,"date":"2017-02-24T18:14:23","date_gmt":"2017-02-24T23:14:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordontennis.com\/?p=1751"},"modified":"2021-12-23T19:51:15","modified_gmt":"2021-12-24T00:51:15","slug":"ryan-harrison-confidence-slump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2017\/02\/24\/ryan-harrison-confidence-slump\/","title":{"rendered":"Ryan Harrison Oozing Confidence After Lengthy Slump"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ryan Harrison<\/strong> has inaugurated his tour-level trophy room with an eye-popping title run at the 2017 Memphis Open<\/strong> without dropping a single set along the way. He was also spotless earlier in the month when he conquered the Dallas Challenger<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Two weeks of work, ten straight victories, only one tiebreak needed and 350 ATP<\/strong> points. That\u2019s how dominant the Shreveport<\/strong> wonder boy has been lately. This red hot streak has vaulted the 24-year-old to the no. 43 position in the world rankings<\/a>, matching his previous career-high set back in 2012.<\/p>\n

Former savior of US men’s tennis captures maiden title<\/h2>\n

Yes, you read the previous sentence correctly: Ryan Harrison is still 24 years of age. It feels like he burst onto the scene in the 20th<\/sup> century, but his passport certifies he has yet to reach the quarter century mark.<\/p>\n

When Harrison notched his first tour-level main draw win<\/a> over Pablo Cuevas<\/strong> in April 2008, Victor Estrella<\/strong> had a grand total of one Challenger tour win<\/a> to his name. For the record, the Dominican is almost 12 years older than the American. Let that sink in.<\/p>\n

Precociousness<\/h2>\n

The Louisiana<\/strong> native was one month shy of his 16th<\/sup> birthday by the time he scored that impressive victory in Houston<\/strong>. He was the 10th<\/sup> youngest<\/a> player in the Open Era<\/strong> to ever win an ATP match.<\/p>\n

Indeed, precociousness is the word that perfectly sums up his early career. If we throw it back even further in time, we can observe how Harrison was the only 12-year-old among the eight 2005 Les Petits As quarterfinalists.<\/p>\n

By the time he turned 15, he was consistently competing toe to toe against the best junior players in the world, winning the 2007 Osaka Mayor\u2019s Cup<\/a>, a prestigious Grade A.<\/p>\n

It was official: Harrison was the anointed youngster to save men\u2019s tennis in America. The media quickly labeled him as Andy Roddick\u2019s<\/strong> heir. He actually lived up to the hype for a while as he steadily climbed up the rankings until 2012. Despite lacking a world class weapon, his warrior mentality allowed him to beat inferior foes, nab some upsets (e.g. first round win<\/a> over Ivan Ljubicic at the 2010 US Open<\/strong>) and play the top guys close.<\/p>\n

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Wow. Words can’t desribe how much this means to me. So blessed with all the love and support I have in life. Thank you all! pic.twitter.com\/ORdorj7kPg<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Ryan Harrison (@ryanharrison92) February 20, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n