The end of the road for American tennis? |

Hey tennis fans,

After a short hiatus, we’re back! Over the past several months/tennis seasons, we have come to realize that we’re pretty much at the end of the rope for American tennis. It’s been ages since the US has had a contender to breach the top 5 tennis players. Of course there is Andy Roddick, who has been keeping his hold on the top 10 for the past 7 years, however; there really isn’t anybody else who has a fresh game to play against these better players. Roddick has had several chances to get out of his “tennis rut” but hasn’t really gone the distance. Once upon a time, the US was back on his side of the tennis court, with his performance at the 2009 Wimbledon Tennis Championships finals. He took Roger Federer to a historic 5 sets only to blow it with a wild forehand error.

In 2008, we saw a glimpse of what could have been a real contender for American male tennis players, his name is Donal Young. Young has been hot or cold, but mostly cold since he went on tour in 2004. To date, he doesn’t have a title to his name, nor has he made it past the 3 round of a Grand Slam (except for his run at the US Open in 2008 – Lost in the Quarterfinals).

So, after Roddick retires – he is starting to show some wear and tear on the court – who is going to be the next American to show us some fantastic tennis ability? We really don’t know. We’ve talked to a couple of pros here and there, and we have been told that in US it’s incredibly hard for a junior to break through to the professional tennis tour. Apparently, the USTA and ITF don’t hand out wildcards to just anybody, especially if you are American. Going on the futures tour, satellite tour, and challenger tour was said to be a waste of time, since the cost for the players and their families families is so high (we’ve been told somewhere in the $300K range for a year – tell us if we’re wrong) and the prizes are so low it is hard to afford to live that lifestyle. I think it’s time we start taking notes on the futures tour and see what American tennis player is going to be in the spotlight, especially since the US is in desperate need of a new tennis great.

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