American Dominance in Tennis Maybe History
There was a point when men’s tennis was dominated by Americans, from the bitter rivalry between Connors and McEnroe to the epic battles between Sampras and Agassi. Such matches left no room for any other player to tread on their paths. Those were the good days of American tennis; however the current situation paints a picture of gloom.
After Andy Roddick’s defeat at the French Open, a Pandora’s Box seems to have opened. Taking a close look at the latest rankings, after Roddick, there seems to be only John Isner seeded number 19 and number 22 Sam Querrey, a relatively unknown face. There is however another known name at the number 23 spot, but he became a US citizen after his entry into the circuit, German born Tommy Haas. There is a huge void following the number 23 spot, as no other American is visible on the ranking system till number 82 in the form of Mike Russel. Once thought of to be America’s shining hope James Blake, too has now faded away to the number 83 spot. What is worse is that none of these Americans, other than Roddick has won a grand slam title. Roddick too does not have such a good record, as he won the US open only once back in 2003.
Even their French Open record is dismal. The American contingent of Russel, Querrey, Dent, Ginepri, and Fish could only manage to clinch victories in the first round, whereas both Isner and Roddick were sent packing home in the third round.
There has been some respite for the American in the form of sister duo Venus and Serena Williams. Known much more for their outlandish dressing the sisters have the rare distinction of being on the World number 1 and 2 spot in the women’s ranking. They have an extremely good record, other than the time they were battling injuries. Together they have won a total of seventy nine titles which also include the all important nineteen grand slam trophies. The sister act are not only impressive in singles matches, they have made their mark in doubles and mixed doubles as well. But does the American women power stop right there, who is up next in line to carry on the American legacy? You will have to look way down in the rankings to catch a glimpse of an American sitting on the number thirty seven spot, Melanie Oudin. Oudin made a noise at the US Open last year, beating the likes of Maria Sharapova and Elena Dementieva, but somehow she has gotten lost in the wilderness ever since then. Her 2010 season seems to be following the same death trap as the rest of her American tennis compatriots.
The hopes of the American’s currently rests on the shoulders of only three players, none of whom have any backups. They key question here is how long will they be able to continue their game for? Venus is already approaching thirty in June and with Roddick on twenty seven, their physical fitness will be called into question soon. If age does slow them down, then the momentum of tennis in America will fall into the doldrums, with no bright light on the horizon.
It seems that for this very reason, the American people have lost interest in watching tennis. With no one to root for the viewership on television has taken a sharp plunge. At the epitome of American tennis back in the nineties, an average total of seven million viewers watched Agassi and Serena Williams clinch the US Open trophy in 1999. Four million viewers saw the last American man Sampras left the Wimbledon trophy as compared to one point nine million in 2007, when Federer and Henin were crowned champions.
America now needs a new bloodline of talent that can lift their spirits just like Serena did when she was eighteen and Roddick at the age of twenty one. But for now it seems that soccer will overtake popularity in America over tennis due to lack of any solid players.
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