Querrey Has a Big Believer -- Ventura County Star (registration required)

Querrey Has a Big Believer--Ventura County Star--


Sam Querrey has more than one big believer. When I saw him win his second and third round 2004 US Open junior matches in a third set tiebreaker and then 7-5 in the third, I saw the light. And working with Grant Doyle on a regular basis has taken to him to the upper echelon of the world's junior tennis players. I've witnessed myself the resignation that Doyle speaks about when other American juniors have had to face Querrey at his best. In the final rounds in Carson and throughout the Easter Bowl last month, he demonstrated just how dominant his best can be.

But I would like to inject a note of caution here. Those tournaments were played on hard courts, in California, against an overwhelmingly American field. Querrey has played only two ITF events outside the US, both on hard courts, losing in the third round at the Casablanca Cup and the first round at the Coffee Bowl this January. He has never played an ITF event on clay, and like Nadal, is having his first look at Roland Garros. With South Americans Leonardo Mayer, Juan Martin Del Potro, and Raony Carvalho entered at the French along with Great Britain's Andrew Murray (who trains on clay and defeated Querrey in the quarterfinals at the US Open), and Italy's Fabio Fognini, who are competing in a junior event after playing exclusively on the Futures tour the past six months, the French field has great depth. Throw in the American aversion to red clay and the prospects of an American junior winning there are only slightly better than those of their older compatriots.

But there is no reason to throw cold water on Querrey's quest to be the number one junior in the world. It's a worthy and attainable goal for someone with his skills, disposition and focus. The Grand Slam season is just starting and there is a lot of tennis to be played. And as I've said, I'm a believer.