Inside Junior Tennis Podcast; Junior Davis Cup, World Junior Tennis Qualifying begin Friday
The latest edition of the Inside Junior Tennis podcast is available via this link. Kevin McClure and I discuss the Easter Bowl winners, getting endorsed for national level events, swinging hard, 17-year-old pros and a little bit of college news.
While I was in California, I had the opportunity to find out who would be going to Montreal this coming week for the North American/Caribbean final round of qualifying for the Junior Davis/Fed Cup and World Junior Tennis competitions.
The girls Junior Fed Cup (16 and under) team for this event (not necessarily for the finals) consists of:
Lauren Embree
Asia Muhammad
Allie Will (presuming her ankle is healed).
The boys Junior Davis Cup team for this round of qualifying is:
Frank Carleton
Alex Domijan
JT Sundling
The girls World Junior (14 and under) team is:
Nicole Gibbs
Whitney Kay
Ellen Tsay
The boys World Junior team is:
Mika DeCoster
Emmett Egger
Christian Harrison
A recent comment on how the Junior Davis Cup team should be selected is a good one:
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Unseeded Formentera Wins Boys 16s in Third-set Tie...":
For the JDC Selection, I feel very strongly that the B16s and B18s Easter Bowl winner that are age qualified for the JDC should be a direct entry to the JDC Team. Those are current performance.
The second criteria could be the highest ranked American that is age qualified for JDC in the Top 100 ITF Ranking.
The third criteria could be the highest ranked age qualified junior in the USTA B18 Top 20 ranking category.
The fourth selection criteria could be an USTA Wild Card Selection set aside for the best double playeres that is age qualified for JDC according to the ITF Jr. Ranking Total Doubles Points obtained or anyone USTA desires.
The fifth & final criteria would be the Top Rank Junior in B16 category if he is not the Easter Bowl Winner already. If the Easter Bowl winner is the current #1 ranked boy, then the #2 rank b16 would move up.
Here are the selections for this year's JDC Team according to this suggested format:
Crit 1: Rhyne Williams
B18 Winner
Lawrence Formentera
B16 Winner
Crit 2: Rhyne Williams
#17 (4-23-07)
Crit 3: Rhyne Williams
#2 (4-25-07)
Crit 4: Devin Britton
70 ITF Doubles Points
Or Any USTA Suggestion
Crit 5: Alexander Domijan
#1 (4-25-07)
My only objection to this is that it gives the Easter Bowl too much importance. The JDC is played in September on clay. I think the winner of the 16s clays (provided they are age eligible) would make more sense.
63 comments:
JT is the hottest guy on the planet. WOOT WOOT!!!! And Formentera just lost to Alex Sarkissian 0 and 1 in Muterspaw so you guys can stop talking him up so much.
JT is the man !! He is soo hot !
He will crush Formentera . He is more experience than Formentera in the National and International competition and he has proven himself over and over again . So , end of discussion !
boyajian is hotter than JT
Carleton , Domijan and Sundling , is a solid team .
They should have no problem . GO USA !
Whatever happened to Andy Magee? He hasn't played since the double loss at the Zoo last year. Was he banned?
This is a college question. Does anyone know why Kean Feeder hasn't played this year for Boise State? I just looked at the WAC final and he was listed as playing #3. What's the deal, anyone?
andy magee is currently an all star football quarterback at his high school where pete carrol has allegedly come to recruit him. He was just a little to beefy for tennis
magee quit tennis, and is his highschool quarterback, and apparently not to shabby.
the girls 16 and under list is wrong instead of allie will it is coco vandeweghe
is this guy saying that formentera should be taken before Chase Buchanan, Devin Britton, and Domijan?? No offense to formentera, who is very good...obviously. but i think so far buchanan, britton, and domijan have proved more eligible so far through their junior careers. If either of those three would have played in the boys 16's they most likely would have won.
Feeder has been injured for most of the season. When I was in Boise in early March he was with the team and practicing, but not yet cleared to play. Patton was hoping to get him back for the NCAAs and it looks like he has.
It should have been , Buchanan , Domijan and Britton.
Sundling has not had good results lately .
Playing favorites ?
I talked to Sundling at Carson where he was playing very well and he had to take all of Jan. plus Feb. off due to a groin injury. But now he looks like he is back in good form. He almost took down williams at easter bowl.
I would not really consider Magee an all star qb. Looking at Scout.com shows that he is a 1 star recruit and his schools of interest are nothing impecable.
saw sundling play at spring in mobile and solidly lose. has no backhand. yes , playing favorites. glad they are finally including frank in something. how about denis lin over Sundling. there is a lot of talk about Formentera and he played w/o pressure. the question will be can he repeat his last two tournamnets now that people will be waching. there are a lot of good kids in the 1991s.
Thanks Colette.
Rhye Williams is better than all of them. Why isnt he in the JDCT?
Sundling is my friend and he had taken two months off and played for a week then went to mobile. That was probably his worst result ever at a super national. If you knew him and have seen him play you would know that his backhand is extremly solid and he can attack with it as well.
I would think that Rhyne and Chase are not going because they have poor attitudes. You do not want people with bad attitudes in a team competition because it will just bring everyone else down.
they dont bring their A teams to qualifing. When it comes to spain the best will go
the best american player out there right now is brennan boyajian obviously he could take williams, sundling, daniel, buchanan and all of them easily.. he is a beasttttt
Williams beat him. Sundling could take him same with Chase. Brennan has a forehand grip on his serve.
ok whatever anonymous said sundling has no backhand and is weak is an idiot. they have no idea what they are talking about. Jt got to the semis of winters and then was injured. He just beat Cox at Carson and gave Rhyne by far his toughest match at Easter Bowl. And he is by far the best doubles player out of the three selected so he will be a key to the team. And Sundling, Chase, and Rhyne could take Brennan, but not very often. I'll give Jt 2 times out of 10, Chase 3, Rhyne 3. Brennan is too good and even if his serve is a little weak, he'll beat you in every other way. and he's a boss that rocks pink and blue studs when he plays. When did williams beat him because it wasn't in the last year?
I know one '91 player who's recently beaten Boyajian: Alex Domijan. He beat him 6-3, 7-5 in February. Now, what that has to do with the Junior Davis Cup, I don't know. But since we were on the topic . . .
Boyajian has had a remarkable win record an is a great junior player but he will never be a pro because he has no weapons. Being a great junior player may only meam that he is great pusher, look at DYoung.
What about DYoung? He's ranked #363 in the world as a 17-year-old. That doesn't suck.
The Usta does not take there best players for qualifying. There is absolutely no competition in qualifyinf and it really doesnt matter who goes. It matters who they take to Spain. We will see soon enough. And rhyne williams beat boyajin in a future in tampa in January of this year. Domijan also beat him. Boyajin isnt even a 91 anyways and there is no reason to even bring him into this. He is a solid all around player with no real weapon and no shot in the ATP unless he builds a bigger game.
Getting back to Sundling, here's what Underground Tennis' West Nott had to say about him after watching him at the Easter Bowl:
"JT Sundling hmmm hmmm hmmm. This guy can play. I saw him 6 months ago at the ITF in Tulsa and he played like a boy. I saw him lose 5 in the third to Rhyne 1st round at the Easter Bowl- now he plays like a man. Everything he does is far more explosive at the same level of consistency and variety. Out of all the kids at the Easter Bowl, he is my pick for kicking some serious tail on the tour in the long-run. Why? The head is strong and tough. He is patient. He understands the game. He doesn't always bang. He can mix it up. You put that together with his lefty swings and his explosive movement- you got a baller."
Regarding the Junior Fed Cup Team, I think Coco Vandeweghe took Allie Will's spot.
A few things from a Division I College coaches perspective (Based on what I have seen from these players over the past 2 years -- most recently ITF SPRING CHAMPIONSHIPS @ Carson and EASTER BOWL):
Rhyne Williams - Solid Game, Bad Temper (what I like to call a bad case of Tennis Tourette's), Best Weapon - Defense, Could be great College player but might be lacking in what it takes to play at the Pro Level.
Devin Britton - Great Attacking Game, Monster Serve, decent defense, Attitude/maturity steadily improving, Physical skills will give him the ability to be successful on the Pro level.
Chase Buchanan - Extremely solid well coached All Court player, No glaring physical weaknesses, Attitude, Maturity, Focus, Intesity and Passion can be non existent at times, Physical skills will also give him the ability to be successful on the Pro level if he gets his mental game together.
Ryan Thatcher - Hands down one of the best junior athletes in the world, If this kid ever commits to an intense tennis regimen -- WATCH OUT!!!, Very well could be the next great American Player if everything falls into place.
JT Sundling - Another Extremely solid well coached all court player, By far one of the most mature players I have seen in a long time, One of the players out there that truly understands the game of tennis and how it's supposed to be played, Best Weapon - BRAIN!!!, Great Competitor, Not to mention you spend 5 minutes talking to this kid and everything about him screams WINNER!!!, Only real weakness is his Strength & Conditioning (this should change as he matures physically), When and if his Physical presence catches up with everything else this kid has -- WATCH OUT YET AGAIN!!! because he too could lead the way in the next crop of great american players!!!
To ncaa div1 coach,
Have you had a chance to see Alex Domijan, Frank Carleton, Denis Lin, and Harry Fowler? I'd be interested in getting your thoughts on those players as well, especially Domijan
D-1 Coach, Did you get a chance to see the Harrison kid play. He is a '92 and has wins over 3 of the guys you listed this year. Thacher, Williams and Britton. Pretty impressive for that young and that size.
Rhyne Williams-good player with solid serve and big forehand. Backhand can be exploited by a good attacking player. Devin Britton- good attacking game that will beat good players who are off that day on their passing shots but will have some losses to players below him on days where his volleys are off. Chase Buchanan-good competitor with solid ground game and adequate serve but suspect volleys. J.T. Sundling-solid all around game with no weakness. will get better and better. Ryan Thacher- the same being a lefty is big asset for both but both have big games to back it up. Frank Carleton- is sleeper of the bunch. solid player who competes well. Alex Domijan-SLOW but makes up for it with wingspan and height. Solid serve and excellent ground game but poor volleys. Competes well and controls his head. Dennis Lin- is a solid all around player who is also a sleeper for the future that doesn't get the hype he should. Harry Fowler- needs to develop more game. does nothing real good but nothing real bad. can beat good players when they have an off day but not capable of raising his level of play against good players when they are playing their game. Food for thought. Just an opinion on what I've seen from these guys.
JT Sundling, Thather, Rhyne Williams and Ryan Harrison have the most potential in the bunch. They all need to attack short balls more and not be complacent to be just another baseline grinder! The other are either too slow or too short to make it on the tour.
Predictions are a waste of time.
No one predicted Querry, everyone predicted Young. No one predicted Andy Roddick when he was 15 or 16 and by the time he was 17 he was a big time pro. Everyone predicted John Roddick, no one predicted Paul Goldstein to make it - even in the 14's.
It depends on how much you improve and how fast.
Everyone jumps on a player's most recent win or loss. He is either the next great American Hope -ala Young or he is washed up at the age of 15.
Get a life and why can't you just wait and see who becomes what.
Why can't American's just enjoy and stop looking down the road -- how great someone is going to be.
It seems it never turns out for all the great expectations we have for a certain player and we get surprised by the ones we do not pick.
Potential does not mean a damn thing-- it has to be converted into actual results.
All this talk is nonsense -- Roddick was 5'7" and 135 lbs at 15 -no one gave him the time of day. Young was crowned King of the junior tennis world and look at him now!!
give donald a break...the kid is only turning or turned 18 this year...he has a long road ahead of him, you dont know that he is or isnt going to make it, dont jump on him for not being top 50 by the time hes 18.
I agree that predicting the future success of juniors is an inexact science, and that it's very presumptupus to assume that someone is either destined for greatness or failure at the age of 15. However, there's nothing wrong with assessing players' abilities and trying to project how they will develop. To say that someone needs to get a life for being interested in such things is ridiculous. This site wouldn't get a lot of traffic if everyone had that attitude. Do you mean to tell me that you give no thought to the future of American tennis and how current prospects might develop? That has nothing to do with why you follow junior tennis? I'm skeptical.
Also, looking to the future and enjoying the present aren't mutually exclsuive. Some people are capable of doing both.
A couple other things:
Sam Querrey did not come out of nowhere. Why people have that in their heads, I don't know. Yes, Donald Young received significantly more attention, but it's not at all a surprise that Querrey is doing well as a pro. He was a very good junior.
Secondly, Donald Young is not a proven bust, and if you think he is, then you have no business criticizing others for simply making predictions about other young players. You'd think he was 25-years-old the way people talk about him. I've never heard of a washed-up 17-year-old.
andy roddick did not come out of nowhere and was considered a prospect even at a young age. he was 1 of the better players in the 14's in the U.S. and goldstein was on the jr. davis cup team at 17 so he was also considered a prospect back then. where that person gets his or her info. is way off base. KNOW what you are saying before you write it and if you want us to get a life then why are you reading and writing about the same things we are.the difference being i am not spitting out false info.querry,roddick and goldstein were all considered prospects at a young age so please quit saying they werent. thats crazy.
Donald does not deserve a break until he fights for every point and loses his rock star attitude-- I have seen him play up close and personal (for 5-6 years) and his press rewards far exceed his talent up to this point- my exact point is: Americans crown the King before he is one-and the player starts to believe his press clippings.
"Anonymous said...
I agree that predicting the future success of juniors is an inexact science,etc" your points are well taken and I believe we are saying the same thing on 95% of what you are saying.
Sam did not get enough carry for what he did in the juniors and donald got way too much. Both were very good juniors.
I don't know where Donald will wind up- I was probably one of the few people east of the Missisippi who did not think he earned all of the "PRESS" he received. The window of a pro tennis player on average is about 4-8 years. Young has a very very long way to go based upon his results today.
goldstein, querry, roddick did not get anywhere near the ink that young got. Goldstein only started to get press after he won 3 times at the zoo. I am alot closer to it than you think!!
define prospect!!!
quit talking about only d. young.everybody in their right mind knows he had great success very young but that if he were white with the same game and same results he would never have been signed to the amount he was and his family never would have been helped starting the academy in atlanta and he would never have been hyped so much. you have to have at least 1 foreign parent or be of color or they think you are lazy, spoiled and unmotivated. blacks are considered more athletic and foreigners are considered harder working. the problem is this is true to a large extent. they are looking for POTENTIAL top 10 type players and the last i checked goldstein has had a very good and lucrative career but he has never been near that. everyone in the tennis world knew about him long before he won his 2nd or 3rd ZOO and he has far more respect in that area than young will ever have. respect from your peers and solid results for a long period of time like paul has had should be far more satisfying than hype with minimal results and a bad attitude. AS FOR POTENTIAL: i would define it this way: a player with the physical skill to hit most shots from anywhere on the court and is unafraid to hit them under pressure. must also look like someone who has a passion and desire and love of the game that says no matter how good i am i still want to get better. NADAL,TIGER,SHARAPOVA,HENIN,FEDERER,AGASSI,SAMPRAS,CONNORS,LENDL,NAVRATILOVA to name a few. they all had or have that look of intense love for what they do and wanting to be great. must also possess speed and quickness if they are a baseliner(meaning counterpuncher)or a big serve and big forehand they can can run around and hit often enough or big serve and good attacking game. it depends on your physical body type as to what game style you should play. the question is:1)do you play the right game style for your physical size and speed. 2)do you have the ability to perform well under pressure with the ability to raise your level of play in pressure situations. 3) do you look like you love doing what you are doing with that burning desire that says i will keep getting better. heart can not be measured which is why some players with slightly less ability are very successful and others with alot of POTENTIAL are not.
I am not spitting out false info -- it is opinion-just like you --and if you are saying that at roddick's age of 15 you predicted he would be # 1 in the world, querry would achieve what he has at this age and goldstein would be on a team that won 4 NCAA's and got as far as he did in the pro's -- you would be earning a gazillion dollars a year as a talent scout. So please, don't be so high and mighty.
in response "Anonymous said...
I agree that predicting the future success of juniors is an inexact science"
we are saying 100% the same thing--I agree with you and my responses about Goldstein,Roddick and Querry match your thoughts exactly!!!
YOU ARE A BIGOT!!!
Anonymous said...
quit talking about only d. young.everybody in their right mind knows he had great success very young but that if he were white with the same game and same results he would never have been signed to the amount he was and his family never would have been helped starting the academy in atlanta and he would never have been hyped so much. you have to have at least 1 foreign parent or be of color or they think you are lazy, spoiled and unmotivated. blacks are considered more athletic and foreigners are considered harder working.
a bigot in what way. i stated the obvious and agreed with it to a certain extent. so was i a bigot for agreeing with that stereotype or a bigot for stating the perception that is there. you are what is wrong with the world today. if someone says anything about another nationality they must be a bigot. i merely stated the perception that is out there and anyone who says that is not true is trying to be politically correct instead of honest. most white kids come from well to do families and are given too many things that aren't earned and it spills over into their work ethic and toughness and discipline on the practice court. it is not right or wrong for families to do this. it is the way it is. black kids are considered to be better athletes and foreign kids are considered to be harder workers so what part of that do you have a problem with. it doesn't make it completely true as there are exceptions to every rule. donald young because he was black or foreign was considered to be a better risk to sign for the future. with out a doubt he had the results to that point to back it up but if he were white there is not a snow balls chance in hell he would have gotten that much hype or the endorsements he did. maybe that is what made you call me a bigot but if you think that is not true then you are living in a dream world far removed from reality and nobody will ever be able to get you to see the truth.
When you speak in such broad stroke general terms -that tends to lead to bigotry.
"(black kids are considered to be better athletes and foreign kids are considered to be harder workers,most white kids come from well to do families.)"
You write/speak like people in the 50's. Jimmy the Greek made almost the exact same comments that you have made and was fired for bigotry 10 years ago (on the spot), along with Jim Capinaris- LA Dodger front office, Howard Cozell -Monday night Football, Isiah Thomas -comment on Larry Bird - Don Imus and on, and on, etc.etc
After your last comments ---
you don't have a clue -nor do you have any prosepective on what a bigot is or isn't. You are a true bigot and you don't even realize it.
Just so there is no hidden agenda -I am a white, well to do executive
I don't say that most blacks are good athelets, or most whites are rich or most foreigners work hard. Those above traits are not indigenous to a specific nationalality or people. Saying they are is prejudice. Nothing more nothing less.
you people still missed the point: "broad stroke general terms" most white kids in tennis do in fact come from well to do families(most not all). most black kids are better athletes(most not all)look at all the sprinters in the world,all the running backs and defensive backs in the N.F.L., all the Kenyans in distance running, basketball and all the other sports that require speed and quickness(predominately black but not all,the would be shift in power to europe in tennis(foreign work ethic and discipline have been the most talked about reasons to blame). again most but not all: as you can see people GENERALLY speaking thse are characteristics that fit but not to all. to the white executive who seems so proud to point this out at least get the names and facts straight before you print them.. Al Campanas was the Dodger executive who was fired not Jim Campinaris and rightfully so for his comments that blacks lacked the necessities to hold a front office job. Jimmy the Greek was fired for talking about the facts in history about mandingo slaves being bred together and that they were bigger and stronger for whatever reason and that they made better athletes. Yes he was fired and subsequently backed by many in the black community including Ahmad Raashad who was black and his co-worker for many years on T.V. he was fired by white executives like yourself who are afraid to speak about another race or nationality for fear of offending them and being labeled a bigot and always trying to say the politically correct thing. Howard Cosells best friend in the world was Muhammad Ali(it is widely discussed how much they cared for each other)what he said was look at that little monkey go in reference to 1 of the smurfs of the washington redskins while he was running for a touchdown. because he was black this was considered a racist statement.(it was clearly not said or meant that way and only a few people took it that way including his white executve bosses who reprimanded him for it. what isiah thomas said about larry bird i dont recall so i cant speak about that. don imus obviously crossed the humor line with his comments(yes he was trying to be funny and yes he crossed the line but he too was backed and ridiculed by both blacks and whites alike who saw it differently themselves and was subsequently fired. BIGOTRY and PREJUDICE are when you look down on another nationality or race and put them beneath you so to speak. when you see something i say that does that then call me a bigot or racist but know the difference and don't be so quick to think that every time someone discusses race or nationality issues that they are racist or a bigot. that is my perspective and not prospective on the issue and i'm not a white executive. i say these things because they are generally true even if they are not politically correct like you people want to be.
We are communicating on two different levels. Hard to believe, but each time you respond your bigotry reaches new heights. Stating "most not all" does not release you from being a bigot.
The minor points of Jim / Al or a spelling mistake are not the point. You have missed the point and will never get the point.
For that I am truly sorry but I will not waste any more of my time trying to explain to you -- what is the point.
My correspondence with you in this regard is over.
Did you ever think it might be the environment that produces great long distnace runners from Kenya. The runners from Kenya are taught at a very young age to run, not because they were black or from Kenya but because they began to run early. Same as true for the BB players. Not because they are black but because they started with a Basket ball at a very young age.
The best lacrosse players in the nation came from Long Island, NY and Maryland- especially Baltimore in the 1960's. In my opinion, becasue kids played that sport from the age of 2- that is why those two states dominated--Environment was the cause not nationality, race creed or color. And when the rest of the country decided to take up (focus) on lax NY & MD still produce top players but not to the extent of those 2 states.
Environment is the key --Big Ten Football dominated collegiate football until - Florida high schools started playing 2 seasons (spring & fall) and then all of a sudden Miami, FSU, UF became the the top football schools. Environment was the name of the game. Not just becasue they were black white or whatever--it is because they played more.
Environment & $$$ is why the pro tennis players from the eastern block are dominating -- environment - not because they are black white or anything else.
You need some more education and enlightment - you are still living in the dark ages.
Alright, environment is a good way of looking at it. But this so-called bigot is in no way racist. MOST Eastern Europeans/foreigners are known for discipline and hard work - this is not because they are Russian, but because they are from tough conditions or whatever (environment). Same with blacks being athletic - their environment encourages it, but also they do genetically have more developed fast-twitch fibres. The statements the 'bigot' is making are valid - I mean if Russians were middleclass executives while WASPs were brought up in do-or-die environments he would be saying the same thing except replace "foreigners" with
white people". WORD
Please try and understand- one particular race, nationality, creed or color are not born to corner the market on hard work, being educated,discplined,great long distance runners, cornerbacks, goalies, professors or being rich or poor.
People are a product of their environment. If kids are taught at a young age that education is important - that is how they will grow up -the same with all the other traits that are helpful in life. It works in reverse also-- if it is glorified to be a "gangsta" you go down a different path.
The problem is people sterotype that as white or black and that is racist. And that is WRONG.
It doesn't matter white or black -- it matters which environment the parent's stress and think important, peer pressure, etc.
So, the trick is white or black, russian, south american, etc -stress hard work, education, discipline but none of those traits are charcteristic of a particular race, creed or color. Not most, all, some or any one race has a corner on that market.
Now, can we get back to forehands and backhands!!!
true true obviously a particular race doesn't have the market on certain characteristics, but the statement made that "most, not all" is insightful, valid because many members of a race share the same environment...generally, obviously not that they are the only race wired to be able to be disciplined or whatever
OK GUYS POINT TAKEN ! END OF DISCUSSION !
Ok Read all your comments and disagree with several players. Rhyne Williams has incredible talent to raise the level of his game, look at his Spring and Easter Bowl results. First saw him as a 12 year old at the Copper Bowl and he stood out then. Disagree that "Harry Fowler- needs to develop more game". That kid has amazing game when his head is screwed on. First saw him play as an nine year old in La and he had a forehand capable of winners back then and saw him repeat that at last years Easter bowl. He was pretty impressive at the 16s orange bowl in the rd of 32 until he lost his cool. Still has a hard time dealing with adversity. Carleton is good but very slow footwork. Harrison is good but seems his biggest strength is his mental toughness and fight and that can take a player a long way. That kid wins more 3 set matches. Britton's big but not sure how naturally athletic he is without the big serve. Another impressive player is jamere jenkins, very athletic. JT is good but not sure if he is the future of American tennis, again saw him at spring in mobile was not a standout.
Frank has great foot work so i dont know what you are talking about and this has been said enough sundling took two months off before Alabama. Also Fowler does not have that great of a Forehand.
junior tennis is a very difficult sport. all these kids mentioned are good and too soon to say who is the best. but one thing is for sure these blogs get bogged down in very petty comments coming from anomymous sources who have questionable expertise.
coming from ANONYMOUS that's pretty funny -not to mention QUESTIONABLE EXPERTISE!!
"Anonymous said...
junior tennis is a very difficult sport. all these kids mentioned are good and too soon to say who is the best. but one thing is for sure these blogs get bogged down in very petty comments coming from anomymous sources who have questionable expertise."
I have been a DY basher for years, tired of the special treatment, the entourage, and the wildcards. Not to mention the ATP points that have been given to him by the USTA. But guess what people. He's growing up, he's getting stronger and smarter. Take a look at his results lately, winning futures, getting a couple of rounds in the challengers...and still months away from his 18th birthday. He's got the goods, let him do his thing, it was just too much too soon.
I think if the USTA had to do it all over again, they would have changed their tune.
But if anyone wants to get on the bandwagon about letting him play Kalamazoo....count me in.
The JT thing btw, good player, he'll play in college. Done said. Don't make a big deal about the kid. By the time all these kids are 17 and 18, they are all really good and all the talk is just a bunch of fluff.
Go play tennis.
Agree it was a bit much the constant press hype/favoritism shown to DY. But he results were so far above the rest of his US counterparts I understood why high performance treated DY like the future of US tennis.
Young also has four doubles titles this year, by the way (two of them challengers).
I can understand why people got tired of the hype and wild cards, but I don't think that should be held against him. That's misdirected anger. Young doesn't control what people say about him, and I don't know why he should be faulted for accepting wild cards or USTA assistance. Most (if not nearly all) players would do the same thing.
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