Great Day for US Tennis.

Submitted by mexwolv on

Today, was a great day for US tennis players.  Both Williams sisters and the Bryan twins made it to the Australian Open Finals.  It's incredible how these 4 players have been able to keep playing at such a high level for almost 20 years.  Hope the new generations  can follow suit.

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carolina blue

January 26th, 2017 at 8:06 AM ^

Agassi. He won quite a bit after Sampras was gone.
You could even argue Roddick. He didnt win every single title, but it's not really fair to say "if you're not as good as Sampras you're not dominant" because that would eliminate everyone save for two or three other all time greats.
I would say Roddick was the last great American men's tennis player. James Blake is the only other very good player that comes to mind.



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funkywolve

January 26th, 2017 at 10:03 AM ^

didn't win that much after Sampras.  Agassi won 90 singles titles in his career.  Sampras last match was the 2002 US Open, which he won and defeated Agassi in the Finals.  After the 2002 US Open, Agassi won 9 of his 90 titles and played in the finals of 2 majors, winning 1.  Agassi had some success after Sampras but the vast majority of Agassi's success was when Sampras was around.

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alum96

January 26th, 2017 at 8:13 AM ^

Agassi lasted longer than Sampras but Sampras @ peak was more dominant.  That said with 14 grand slams Sampras is up there with all time greats - the "Big 3" of the past 10 years has just been incredible wheras Sampras era he didn't have quite the competition.  If you don't care about the U.S. aspect the men's tennis of the past 10 years has just been off the charts historic

In my lifetime the U.S. men have basically been McEnroe, Connors, Sampras, Agassi in terms of dominant guys.  3 of those 4 were among the biggest personalities in the sport as well which made it fun.  A guy like Courier was very good with a handful of Slams too - never quite got the credit I think.  But it drops off pretty quick after that to a guy like Roddick - I think he had 1 grand slam?  Michael Chang was solid.  Then you enter a sort of black hole for men's U.S. tennis.  But all it takes is 1 at a time and you can last a decade.

That said, we haven't even had a Michael Chang type in 7-8 years at this point. 

I think my first year on campus was the year Connors had that amazing U.S. open run near age 40 since it was around Labor Day and I remember watching in the dorms!

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funkywolve

January 26th, 2017 at 4:16 PM ^

didn't have quite the competition as Nadal/Federer...  Could it be the opposite - the fact that Nadal, Fed and Novak won so many majors with dominant runs indicate that the talent pool below them just wasn't that deep?

Sampras won his first major at the US Open in 1990.  After the 1990 US Open, Stefan Edberg still won 2 more majors.  Boris Becker still won 2 more majors, Agassi won 8 majors, Courrier won 4.  Rafter and Hewitt won 2 majors each.  Since Federer won his first major there's only 2 other people that have won multiple majors not named Federef, Nadal or Novak - Wawrinka and Murray.

 

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Dylan

January 26th, 2017 at 8:25 AM ^

I couldn't care less about Venus / Serena.  But, for the love of God, please give us a Federer / Nadal Final!

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BoCanHam15

January 26th, 2017 at 9:14 AM ^

Got a joke for you. If and that's just your opinion. If she was then why doesn't everyone do it and they could just simply beat her juicing. Funny thing is that most people love to purport information that they cannot confirm. It's sort of like that turd someone lost when you were born.



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Everyone Murders

January 26th, 2017 at 9:25 AM ^

I can't really follow all of what you wrote there, but here's the thing.  Some players won't use PEDs because it's against their moral fiber.  Some won't use PEDs because they are worried about the health effects.  Some won't use PEDs because they are afraid of eventually getting caught.

You should read up on Frankie Andreu to learn that these sorts of people exist.  There are actually a lot of them.

And yes, if the ITF has laughable PED regulations and enforcement (in-season vs. non-season rules, letting players like Serena Williams openly evade testing, etc.), it will be hard to prove it.  I'm just saying there is a shit-ton of smoke here.

As for the rest of your reply, I honestly can't follow it. 

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BoCanHam15

January 26th, 2017 at 10:48 AM ^

Well there you have it Mgobloggers. Two gentlemen on a blog have investigated, tested, and proven. That Ms. Serena Williams has degraded the profession of women's tennis and in the near future they will release their results to the world. With indisputable evidence, that she's a liar, and a cheat. Her legacy will be decided in a forum for sports bloggers, soon. Details will be posted in the NY TIMES, on the front page tomorrow.



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uncle leo

January 26th, 2017 at 8:54 AM ^

Are so far behind any top level of competition it is downright scary. Jack Sock was the last hope for the men, and he couldn't even get to the Round of 16. Tsonga swatted him away pretty easily.

The more scary part is that while the youngsters look very capable, they are at least another 2-4 years away from being a regular on the scene. 

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WCHBlog

January 26th, 2017 at 1:09 PM ^

They haven't had a legitimate contender since Andy Roddick retired. They haven't really had a legitimate contender on the women's side outside of Serena and Venus--who developed outside the USTA system--in a long time either. 

The USTA's track record when it comes to player development is pretty atrocious.

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Alton

January 26th, 2017 at 3:52 PM ^

I don't know much about Tennis, but I've wodered for the last 5-10 years what is happening.  Is it that all development effort in the USA is geared toward college scholarships?  And the fact that if you aren't competing professionally at 18, you will never be a contender for the top 10 or so?

That's just speculation on my part, but it's certainly true that Roddick was the last true top-10 player.

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Navy Wolverine

January 26th, 2017 at 7:19 PM ^

I love tennis - it is hands down my favorite sport to play. I stay up until zero dark hundred so I can watch Australian Open matches deep into the night. My 9-year old started playing two years ago and started playing in local tournaments last summer. I can see why the U.S. does churn out many champion tennis players because even at his age, it is pretty expensive. I pay $225 per month for him to play in a junior clinic twice per week. These clinics are practice sessions with 8-16 kids. The coaches run the kids through drills but there isn't a whole lot of teaching going on. Luckily I play myself and have gotten smart on how to teach all of the strokes so I am able to work with him 1-on-1 pretty often (now if he would only listen to me!). A private lesson runs about $60 per hour. Not many people can afford that. From what I have seen, most successful U.S. tennis players have parents that were able to coach them until thay are teens or come from financially secure backgrounds. 

Not only is it expensive to get good but it's hard to make a lot of money once you do. Sure, Federer, Serena, Djokovic have made millions but they are the exception and not the rule. For example, last summer I was coming home on a flight from Detroit to Cincinnati right before the big tournament they have here prior to the U.S. Open. The plane was one of these 70 seat rejional jets with a first class section. I was sitting back in coach and who do I see board but Gael Monfils. Monfils is a tall (about 6'4") athlectic but somewhat inconsistent pro who has been a top 10-15 player for the last 5 years or so (I think he is #6 now). Gael wasn't sitting in first class but coach! I couldn't believe that anybody who is the 10th best IN THE WORLD at what they do would be riding in the back of a regional jet. I can't imagine the 15th best player in the NBA (James Harden?) flying in the back of an RJ.

Another example is Mischa Zverev who just lost to Federer in the Aus Open after beating Andy Murray. Mischa is the number 50 player in the world, has been pro for 10 years and has a career earnings of only $2.7 Million. I'm not sure what he pulls in for endorsements (probably not much) but keep in mind he has to pay a coach, trainer, travel expenses too. The 50th best player in the NBA probably pulls in $15M per year.

It must be hard to train your whole life, become great at something and only earn a middle class lifestyle. If your kid is a great athlete - steer them to baseball or basketball.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-tenniss-pay-gap-compares-to-other-sport…

 

 

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MGoBlueMyself

January 26th, 2017 at 9:40 AM ^

I thought Isner would eventually make a push for us as well. He equally gets swatted away all the time. 

Do we even have anyone in the wings for the men? If so, I don't follow closely enough to have heard their names. 

The U.S. women also seem down, but at least Vandewege and Sloane Stevens have started to consistently make deeper pushes in major tournaments. 

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uncle leo

January 26th, 2017 at 10:17 AM ^

Win anything with the way he plays. He can't move, so anytime he gets into a rally, it's all but over.

Yeah, there are a few talented players coming up but they have a LONG way to go. Tiafoe, Rubin, Mmoh, Donaldson, Opelka, Fritz. Lots of potential, but they are too young to do anything right now.

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MichiganHSSP14

January 26th, 2017 at 1:00 PM ^

Out of all the youngsters in the US, I feel like Donaldson has the greatest upside (just needs an improvement in fitness). The rest of the guys should all be solid top 50 players, in the next few years but I question how high Fritz and Opelka can go with so much dependence on their serve (we have seen how a big serve can only get you so far with Isner). There is a lot to look forward to with the US guys, just hoping that the development continues at a high level and that these guys keep pushing each other.



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Shop Smart Sho…

January 26th, 2017 at 1:40 PM ^

Fritz and Opelka need to embrace a serve and volley game.  It's something Isner should have done ten years ago.  If they do that, they can become title contenders on grass and hardcourts.  It won't really help their clay game, but I'd suggest being contenders at 75% of the Grand Slams is more important than trying to break the European domination on clay.

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