U.S. Tennis: Will the future overshadow the past?
When Andy Roddick became a Grand Slam champion at the U.S. Open in 2003, the event was considered by many as somewhat of a torch passing ceremony from Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras. Unfortunately, Roddick has been unable to win another Grand Slam since then, which leaves him far behind Agassi and Sampras in terms of winning matches.
This American star along with his fellow American players James Blake, Mardy Fish, Robby Ginepri, John Isner and Sam Querrey still feel the burden of past records hanging on their shoulders. With every passing day, fans from all over the United States are expectantly waiting for any one of them to achieve greatness beyond the level of Agassi or Sampras. Although that day may be distant from now, some American players have managed to perform quite well this season.
John Isner and Sam Querrey have pushed their way into the world top twenty players and have been ranked at the number two and three slots respectively among all American players. Roddick is still fighting it out as the number one American player.
While top players like Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer still have a week or two left to return to the ATP Tour after the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, this group of top American players has entered the tour early and have spent the past few weeks after Wimbledon battling each other at various events. It has given them a chance to prepare for the upcoming U.S. Open, but whether or not their preparation is good enough to overthrow Federer or Nadal which is quite questionable.
Last week at the Atlanta Championship, which was held in America, these inter-generational players put up a thrilling show. It was a great breakthrough for Mardy Fish who beat the top seed, Andy Roddick, in the semi-final and made his way to the final of the tournament. Fish was up against John Isner in the final who he defeated in three sets to claim his second straight title. This has been the best run of Fish’s career and his performance has impressed American audiences significantly.
The Atlanta tournament champion admitted to the fact that if he had been playing here in 2009, he would not have improved his second set performance. He even underwent a knee surgery a year ago which made him realise that he needed to work on different tactics of the game and maybe loose a little weight in order to reduce the pressure on his knees. The 28-year-old American has lost thirty pounds and is playing as good as ever.
As for Andy Roddick, his current top American ranking may be under threat as other Americans are excelling in the game. John Isner and Sam Querrey have also been improving and building up their form this season. Isner has made it into the Hall of Fame, as he played the longest match in the history of the Open era at Wimbledon this year. With younger players catching up, Roddick is definitely not a quitter in this case. He is also working hard to regain his top form which he might exhibit at the U.S. Open.
The 22-year-old Sam Querrey has managed to win three different titles this year, on three different surfaces, which has been quite an achievement for this young American. He is also developing a remarkable game and is working on his shortcomings. In a few years, he may be able to uplift the American status by winning a Grand Slam title.
None of these American players are in any kind of rivalry, as all of them have played together at the Davis Cup which has given them a chance to work together as a team. All of them are working for one motive – that is to make American tennis shine once again in the world.
The future is looking bright for the Americans but at the same time, the past is still hovering about and is unwilling to let go, making this an amusing period in the course of American tennis.
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