U.S. Tennis and its tennis players – are they dead or alive?
There was a time when majority of the top ten tennis players in the world came from the United States of America, but ever since Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi left the stage, things have changed for the worse for America’s tennis players.
At first they couldn’t win Grand Slam tournaments, then they could not qualify for the finals and with Andy Roddick’s poor show at the French Open, the hope for resurgence by American fans has hit a new low. The finalist at last year’s Wimbledon is the only current American to have won a Grand Slam in the last 10 years. He did so when he won the U.S. Open in 2003 but since then, he is the lone ranger for the Americans in Grand Slams which was once dominated by men from the States.
After Roddick, the highest-ranked American men in ATP Rankings are John Isner at 19, Sam Querrey at 22 and German-born Tommy Haas at 23, who became a U.S. citizen this year.
In the women’s circuit, there is no US player in sight after Venus and Serena Williams who are the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the world. They have won 19 Grand Slams in the last decade, but what will happen after they retire in a couple of years? Who will carry the flag after the Williams? The next-highest-ranked American woman is Melanie Oudin at 37 who has so far won no Grand Slam tournament – only managing to win the hearts and minds of fans around the world with her looks.
A look at the performance of American men in Grand Slams gives an alarming picture of the decline in Tennis in the US. No American besides Roddick has reached the final (thrice, losing on all occasions) of the Wimbledon Championship which was last won by an American in 2000, when Pete Sampras defeated Pat Rafter for his sixth title. Similarly, Andre Agassi was the last American to reach the French Open final in 1999. He won it but since then, it has eluded an American winner.
The last time an American won the Australian Open was in 2004 when Andre Agassi did so. Sadly, that was the last time a player from US reached the final as well. And finally, the US Open where local boys were once the favourites. Andre Agassi won the event in 1999 but lost to Pete Sampras in 2002. Andy Roddick then took over and won his first and so far only Grand Slam at 21, but since, no player besides Andy Roddick and an aging Andre Agassi have reached the final of the event that has been dominated by foreigners.
American women have fared better in Grand Slams then their men counterparts thanks mainly to Williams sisters. If one takes a look at the last 10 winners of Grand Slams, the Williams sisters stand out. After American Lindsay Davenport’s win at Wimbledon in 1999 against Steffi Graf, began the Williams era. Venus Williams won in 2000 & 2001; Sister Serena defeated her in 2002 and 2003 before she was dethroned by Maria Sharapova in 2004. Venus then won the title in the next 3 out of 4 years, missing it in 2006 when none of the sisters reached the final. Last year, in the all-Williams final, Serena came out as victorious, making Wimbledon their happy hunting ground.
In the last 10 finals at the Roland Garros, only twice have an American women emerged as the winner - Jennifer Capriati in 2001 and Serena Williams in 2002. While Capriati won against Belgium’s Kim Clijsters, Serena won against her sister Venus who is yet to win a French Open title.
The Australian Open has been lucky for the American women. Lindsay Davenport ended Martina Hingis’s domination Down Under in 2000. Hingis never won at the Australian Open as she was defeated by Jennifer Capriati in 2001 and 2002. Serena Williams then took the title in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 to round off an American domination. But the American women haven’t fared as well in the US Open. After 4 titles going to the Williams between 1999 and 2002, they made it to the final just once in next 7 attempts, winning in 2008 only.
At this point in time, Roddick is 27 years old while the Williams sisters are nearing 30. Physically, they should be around for at least a few more years but the American tennis officials will have to think hard about the game’s revival otherwise players Roddick and the Williams sisters will be a part of history like Billie Jean King, John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, Jim Courier, Pete Sampras and others.
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