Hard To Mold Players On Clay: Washington Post
The USTA National Clay Court Championships started Sunday in several locations, with this article surfacing in the Washington Post as the Boys' 18s & 16s divisions begin play in Rockville Maryland and other clubs in suburban DC. The discomfort that clay produces in U.S. players isn't going to be solved in a few column inches, but it is always useful to hear the opinions of people who have been thinking about the problem.
Last year was my first experience ever with a national level clay court event when I spent the entire duration of the tournament in Rockville. Although the heat and humidity made it decidedly uncomfortable, I was enthralled by the tennis, and by the physical and mental toughness the surface and the conditions demanded. This year I'm not going until Wednesday, which means I'm hoping all the best players are still around. No singles seeds played on Sunday, the tournament's first day, so there were no upsets today, but several are sure to fall on Monday.
Two rounds of doubles are played the first day, and due to the heat, the third set was reduced to a tiebreak. I wasn't aware this was an option at a Level 1 National, but the USTA's Lew Brewer assures me it is, so with that ATP-style resolution, a few more upsets could happen in doubles. With the results incomplete as of this posting, I don't know if they have, but I'll be checking the ustaclay.com site often in the next two days.
2 comments:
Collette,
Just a query: have you given any thoughts to follow-up articles on some of the players you cover in the junior events as they progress into college and pro ranks?
Looking at the USTA National Clay Courts I'm reminded of Andy Orban -hard to forget as he now has an award named after after him for that event- who always struck me as an interesting story.
Is that something you might leave to College and Junior Tennis or is it more a case of too many stories, too little time?
I do hope to follow several of the players I've gotten to know well the past couple of years, but the chances that our paths will cross again are slim for those who don't go to college. As for those who do, the ITA and NCAA events I attend provide an opportunity to see them and keep connected, but it's a little early in the process to say.
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