You can only play rope-a-dope for so long.
At the 1974 "Rumble in the Jungle," Muhammad Ali assumed a defensive position against the ropes and took a pounding from George Foreman. This went on for several rounds while Ali scarcely made an offensive move.
At some point in that legendary bout, he decided he was no longer willing to withstand the pummeling being dished out by his opponent.
Ali started swinging back. He got his back off the ropes, established an offensive and ultimately won the fight.
In my opinion, it's time for U.S. tennis to start swinging back.
Over the past few months, I have been questioned by no less than 10 reporters (and I don't get interviewed all that much) about the purported demise of U.S. tennis. I have read several articles praising the development programs of tennis federations in other parts of the globe. I have stood by as people have implored U.S. tennis to "learn from the experiences of other countries" and "adopt a development program similar to your European counterparts."
Even my esteemed editors of this blog recently wrote an article emphasizing, "To say that this year has been a disappointment for U.S. tennis would be an understatement."
Based on recent media coverage, one might conclude that the prospects for U.S. tennis are no better than that of beach volleyball in the Arctic Circle.
Even James Blake, the No. 5 player in the world, has not been spared this type of criticism. Rather than focus on his meteoric rise from being ranked outside 200 to inside the top five in the span of 15 short months, critics have emphasized his inability to advance past the third round in any of the three Grand Slam events this year and his 0-9 record in five-set matches.
Perhaps the most popular whipping boy in recent months has been Andy Roddick. Here's a guy who finished 2003 as the No. 1 ranked player on the planet and was a mainstay in the top three over the next two years. Do you really think he has forgotten how to play in just seven months? (His performance last week in Cincinnati would strongly suggest otherwise.)
I do acknowledge that there have been setbacks, most notably the failure of a U.S. man to advance past the third round of the French Open for the second consecutive year, the lack of a U.S. representative in the quarters of Wimbledon for the first time in 80 years and the porous showing at the recent Masters Series event in Toronto.
However, the fact is that U.S. tennis remains a global force and its future is exceedingly bright.
(At this point, I must distinguish that I am only going to refer to U.S. men's tennis. While U.S. women certainly have current stars and promising prospects, I am far more familiar with the men's game and for the purpose of this blog, I am limiting the evaluation to my area of expertise. After all, I wouldn't ask a neurologist for a diagnosis for knee pain.)
Let's start at the top.
As I write this, James and Andy are two of the world's top 10 players. No other country in the world has more men with that distinction. And at 26 and 23 years old, respectively, these guys are set to carry the flag for some time.
Also, under the age of 25 are Mardy Fish and Robby Ginepri, who have both made dramatic statements on the biggest stages that professional tennis has to offer. Mardy won a silver medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Meanwhile, beginning in the summer of 2005, Robby was one of the four best players on the planet over a stretch of four months that saw him reach the semifinals of two Masters Series events and the semifinals of the U.S Open.
Let's not forget the best doubles team in the world. Mike and Bob Bryan are in the prime of their careers. The twins from Camarillo, Calif., have advanced to a record-setting seven consecutive Grand Slam finals. With their title last month at Wimbledon, they achieved the prized career Grand Slam. This summer, they are 15-1 on the hard courts of North America, having won titles in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Toronto. Further, with their infectious energy and pure enthusiasm for the game, the boys appear destined to dominate for the foreseeable future.
Next month in Moscow, James, Andy and the Bryan brothers will take on Russia in the semifinals of Davis Cup. This Patrick McEnroe-led squad has the opportunity in 2006 to return the trophy to the U.S. for the first time since 1995.
While the current crop of Americans is certainly holding their own, there is also reason to be optimistic about the future. In the last six months, five different American men under the age of 20 (Scott Oudsema, Phil Simmonds, Wayne Odesnik, Alex Kusnetsov and Sam Querrey) have won challenger events (tennis' equivalent to Triple-A baseball) around the globe. Led by Querrey, a hard serving 6-foot-6 18-year-old from California, "Generation Next" seems poised to begin making a real impact on the tennis community.
As with many news stories, the state of American men's tennis is not as dire as the media would make you think. That being said, I am the first to admit that things could be much better. No American man has claimed a Grand Slam singles crown since 2003, a run of 11 consecutive events. For an American tennis fan used to the likes of Connors, McEnroe, Sampras, Agassi and Courier, that's a pretty significant drought. And, while our youngsters have shown tremendous promise, the fact is there are six players aged 20 or younger from other countries ALREADY ranked in the top 30 in the world.
So, while the state of American tennis is decidedly better than certain media coverage might have you believe, we can do better and we must do better.
Heading into the U.S. Open, American men should be motivated to follow the lead of Andy Roddick, who swung back in Cincinnati the most effective way possible … with his racket.
