The problem with American tennis

By Aimee Lewis

Members of the US Davis Cup team celebrate victory over Russia

"US top Russia to rule the tennis world" heralded the Washington Post in December 2007 after the United States won their 32nd Davis Cup title with a 4-1 victory over Russia.

A partisan crowd in Portland, Oregon, whooped and hollered as their men ended a 12-year Cup drought and it seemed a nation that was once a tennis empire was set to reassert itself on the courts once more.

But on the eve of the US Open, the final Grand Slam of the season, it is clear that a Davis Cup success does not a revival make.

"It's almost on life support," said 17-time Grand Slam winner John McEnroe of the game in his home country.

The statistics certainly make uncomfortable reading for a nation that produced the likes of McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Bill Tilden.

Only two Americans - Andy Roddick and James Blake - make the world's top-30 men's rankings, while Serena and Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport - are the sole representatives in the women's top 30.

Even the sunniest optimist would find it hard to take positives from the results at this year's Grand Slams.

If the Lawn Tennis Association spends $40-50m a year on development and the United States Tennis Association's budget is a quarter of that then people are going to be tempted Patrick McEnroe

At the French Open, Robby Ginepri, the world number 62, was the only American to reach the fourth round; at Wimbledon the men suffered their worst performance at the All England Club for 40 years, with no American reaching the second week in the men's singles.

Admittedly, Venus and Serena Williams sprinkled a little stardust on the women's final but they and Bethanie Mattek were the only females from across the Atlantic to survive the first week at SW19.

In the Williams sisters, the US, for the time being at least, have a pair who will more often than not challenge for major trophies, yet who is there to take on the mantle once they bid farewell to the sport?

When will the US be able to cheer a Grand Slam winner in the men's game? The last to do so was Andy Roddick in the US Open five years ago.

Nick Bollettieri, founder of the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy (NBTA) in Florida, where the likes of former world number ones Boris Becker, Agassi, Martina Hingis and Maria Sharapova flourished, told BBC Sport that American problems on the court were a "major point of concern".

"It's gone beyond the 'Holy Cow' stage of shock, to the point when, although your big-name, high-ranked players are going out of events way before they really should, it's not actually that surprising," said the 77-year-old, who dropped out of law school in 1957 to coach tennis full-time.

Andy Roddick was the last American to win a men's singles Grand Slam

"What a state we're in, a country that in the recent past dominated men's Slams."

However, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) is not burying its head in the sand and, recognising that the rest of the world has caught up, it has assigned Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe to the task of changing the nation's tennis structure.

In turn, McEnroe has appointed Bollettieri as commissioner of the elite programme to identify talent, assist with the development of coaches and run training camps.

They will encourage five to 10-year-olds to play tennis and, according to Bollettieri, the revamp will make a big difference.

606: DEBATE Roddick could drop out of the top 10 if he falls before the quarter-finals but being the US Open I expect him to reach the quarters at the very least sirbenson23

But where did it all go wrong? Bollettieri pinpoints a number of factors: economics, the popularity of other sports, lack of funding and, in the men's game, the dominance of Switzerland's Roger Federer and Spain's Rafael Nadal.

"We have a multitude of sports that are popular, like cheerleading and swimming," reasoned Bollettieri. "We've got to get a lot more young people playing the game, especially from the inner cities. It helps when you have stars and people of really high excellence from your own country.

"The economy has changed and the whole mindset has changed. These days parents are working and so fewer and fewer people are playing tennis.

"Also, in America, our tennis budget has been diminished and recreation in schools has been eliminated."

The governing body has, in the past, been accused of not investing enough in the sport, with Patrick McEnroe blaming a lack of funding for the defection of influential coaches Brad Gilbert and Paul Annacone to the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).

"Had the USTA offered them similar sums to work in player development, I'm sure they would have stayed in America," said McEnroe after December's Davis Cup win.

"If the LTA spends $40-50m a year on development and the USTA's budget is a quarter of that, people are going to be tempted."

Donald Young turned professional at the age of 14

For all the doom and gloom, Bollettieri predicts a bright future for American tennis, saying Alicia Black, aged 10, Victoria Duval, aged 12, and Sachia Vickery, aged 13, "all have the potential to be special". Although, he conceded it may take at least five years to produce another champion.

But the burden of being 'the next big thing' can weigh heavily on a young player's shoulders, just ask Donald Young.

Three years ago, Chicago-born Young earned a contract with Nike before he was old enough to drive after becoming the youngest player to win a junior Grand Slam title, the 2005 Australian Open.

He turned professional aged 14, proclaiming: "Win all the Grand Slams more than once - that's always been my goal" and American magazine Newsweek included Young in its 2005 Who's Next list of up-and-coming stars, alongside a certain Barack Obama.

But while Obama is aiming to become the nation's next president, Young, ranked 99 in the world, is struggling to make an impact on the senior circuit as his deft touches fail to outwit more powerful opponents.

"I'm going to start working with him again," said Bollettieri of Young. "He's going to have to learn to be street fit and learn how to dig out a match.

When Nadal and Federer are around then you're not going to win Grand Slams too often. Nick Bollettieri

"It's about getting in the best physical shape of his life, we've got to revamp his entire fitness programme."

However, one American's dream is certain to end early at Flushing Meadows as Young is set to play Blake in the first round.

Roddick seems to be the most likely to challenge in New York, with the number eight seed forsaking the Olympics to stay on home soil to prepare for the US Open.

But with Nadal and Federer in the draw, Bollettieri believed it was unlikely the Stars and Stripes would be hoisted in celebration of a home success in the men's singles.

"Roddick has one or two weapons that give him an advantage - a big serve and an excellent forehand, but you've got to regard Nadal as the favourite," he stated.

"When Nadal and Federer are around then you're not going to win Grand Slams too often. The question with Nadal is: How long can he go on for? Can his body carry on for another 10 years? He's playing at 110%."

The women's draw is a lot more open as no player has dominated this season and, once again, the Williams sisters will be the most likely source of American success.

Would perpetual American failure affect the popularity of US Open? "No, no, no!" declared Bollettieri.

"We'd like a home talent to dominate, but the tickets will still be sold out and there will be posters everywhere of the players. The New York crowd will be unbelievable."