"WANTED: American Tennis Idol"

Let's face the reality: the Williams sisters have been the face of american tennis in grand slams for the past decade with the exception of Roddick being the only US male player to win a grand slam title. I will not mention the Bryan brothers, as despite their records, "doubles specialists" (players that would not play in singles) don't have the same place as singles players when it comes to greatness.  John McEnroe has way more merit and should be the best American doubles player ever as he was competing in singles and doubles at the same time.

If it keeps going on like this with a total European domination, they might as well move the US Open to Spain or another country in Europe as this is a drastic change from 10-20 years ago where US fans were cheering American superstars such as Sampras, Agassi, Chang, Courier, and Connors who was still firing shots at 39 years old reaching the semi finals of a memorable 1991 US Open.  In 2002 Sampras became the greatest player of all time by winning his 14th Grand Slam just a year after America endured the deadliest terrorist attack of its history with a lasting fear impact in the mind of Americans. 

What has happened since 9/11?  Everybody saw in James Blake the next Arthur Ashe and besides reaching the number 4 in the world, he did not manage to win a grand slam. And Roddick? He had everything going for him and was set to win a few more majors after his win at the US Open. The US players were the power force of the tennis world and the "Yankee" attitude doubled with a strong training method helped develop some of the greatest players in the world for decades. Those great players were the representation of  the world's greatest and most powerful nation. Today, the confidence, the efficient training methods, and development programs that were once the trademark of American players is gone.

My brother Lionel, who was my coach and mentor, and who also helped me become one of the best tennis players in the world, looked at me one day while living in Bordeaux, France (I was 15 years old) and said, "Ronald, we need to go to America, we need to go to Florida at Harry Hopman's training camp in Tampa. We need to step it up and learn a few more things in tennis training, and also you will be able to hit with players with different styles coming from all over the world."

It was a dream for me to come to the US and discover Florida known to be the mecca of tennis at the renown Harry Hopman's Tennis Academy in Saddlebrook. We stayed two weeks and both my brother and I learned extra training techniques and I was able to test my game against some of the best juniors in the world. This camp gave me a boost to my tennis and confidence, especially coming back to France as it was every French player's dream to come and train in Florida, a guarantee of improvement. Florida was the best training place in the world and with the Orange Bowl (Word Junior Tennis Championships held in Miami), it was the cherry on the cake.

Today, Florida is no longer the number one destination of choice for aspiring professional players, and winning the Orange Bowl does not have the same prestige as before. One of the main factors is the increas ing number of good tennis academies around the world. After all, Bolletieri, the most famous academy in the world has not produced a number 1 player in the world since Agassi, and with IMG in control of operations now, it became a big multisports factory. Harry Hopman died many years ago and his "savoir-faire" died with him. He had no ball feeders as coaches like many academies in the US. Not only was he hands on with players on every single court, but his team of coaches were the finest you could find.  

What can the US Tennis Federation do to reverse the course and create a new generation of champions? After all, they are not really responsible for the success of the past grand slam American champions as all of them made it with their own private structure. They are for sure helping pour a lot of money into players, but they obviously invested in the wrong ones. As of today no USTA program has developed a grand slam champion, and if you look closely, most federations in the world don't really aim at producing players with the exception of France, where 99% of their top players are coming from the French Federation training system. 

The world of tennis is in desperate need of one or more US tennis icons to bring more excitement to the game.
I say bring the big serves, bring some bad boys like McEnroe and Connors, bring some attacking players again and with it some arrogance and attitude on the court as well as more diversity.  The American players are not commanding the respect they used to have.
The US media made a fuss out of Mardy Fish's (the best US player this summer) resurrection this year due to him losing 30 pounds. Isn't he supposed to be in top shape as a professional athlete? 

I played Brad Gilbert twice in Key Biscayne and lost 2 times on hard court. From the locker room to the court, he kept talking and talking about anything and everything. He was intimidating me, he knew he had more chances to beat me on hard courts than on clay and he did.....twice.  I patiently waited to take my revenge and it happened in Stuttgart on clay (he was ranked number 12 in the world). During the match, he talked the whole time and I still won 6/4 in the third set. Even after the loss, he kept talking non stop about the match as he had won! I told myself "those Americans really don't want to lose". He was the reflection of the "American attitude" that is out there to win by all means. American always want to be the best in everything they do and they need to get that attitude back in tennis.

I have a theory that september 11 damaged the minds of American players for a few years as after the attack of 9/11, many were scared to travel, including myself. After all, US players were targeted like all Americans around the world by Al Qaeda. Tennis is no NBA or NFL where you can stay at home during your entire professional career! In professional tennis, you have to travel week after week around the world. 
Or could it be the declining economy that sept 11 helped create?  Are parents and sponsors not interested anymore as they used to be? 

The USTA generates between approximately 400 to 600 million dollars every year with the US Open only, so they have plenty of money to develop world class players, but is it the new American generation that is so imbedded into social networks and reality TV shows where you can gain fame and money much faster than in tennis that is the problem? Too many foreigners in US Colleges? There are certainly more foreigners than Americans in US colleges today in the NCAA Division I teams, but it is not an excuse. Sampras, Chang, Courier, and Agassi all have in common to have won at least one grand slam and they all skipped college to focus on tennis and are a product of their own private structure. 

Maybe American families are not taking chances anymore, because parents are afraid their kids will not make it in tennis. I have heard so many times: "If my kid is not going to win a grand slam, then it is not worth it, it is better to get an education and get a job". This is true when you are American or you live the American way of life and I might think the same way, but that puts a lot of pressure on the kids. This kind of pressure does not exist in many parts of the world as you either go to college or you turn pro. 

"Success" in America is measured by how much money you make and how many degrees one has. In other parts of the world, sometimes success is measured on a different level and Andy Murray is a prime example. So far, he is having a great career and can retire with enough money in the bank and can also go back to college to get a degree if he wants to. Tennis has brought him fame and fortune but yet a lot of people think (especially in England) that unless he wins a grand slam, he will be categorized as a "failure". Why would they call this another British failure? is it because several millions of dollars were spent on Murray to make it in tennis and no English player has won a grand slam title since Fred Perry in 1936?

Roddick is facing a similar situation and the media keeps focusing on him instead of focusing on his coaches that have not made any difference in his results since he and Brad Gilbert split. Roddick needs the right coach in order for him to succeed again. When he was stuck at 6 in the world, the US media pointed the finger at the coach that got him to the top 10 in the world as being the problem and so far since he left Gilbert, nobody has pointed the finger to his coaches for his failures.  There is a chemistry between a player and a coach that is essential to reach the best results and it does not matter how great the coach is/was. In all of the team sports, the coach is responsible for the success or non success of the team so when the results are not there after a certain period of time, then a change is necessary until the right choice is made. 

Donald Young was supposed to be the next Arthur Ashe, the next American tennis star and he thought he could win eight grand slams and despite being the best Junior in the world, his game and results are showing that he is not even close to win a major. 

So, where is the future of US Tennis? What is going to happen when Venus and Serena will retire (they could be doing so anytime now)?  The US can no longer afford to play the second or third role in tennis. The business of tennis can seriously be affected and tennis fans could lose interest. Venus and Serena have dominated the women's tour and helped TV ratings go up for the past decades. It is time for the US to have a new generation of players that can dominate the game again. 

Patrick McEnroe, the man in charge of US tennis, who has been commenting for ESPN and signing copies of his new book during the US Open, said he is resigning as the US Davis Cup captain so he can focus more on the Player Development program. Hopefully he will define what the new US player will be made of to win the grand slams. A first move has been made to recruit dual citizenship player such as Collarini that reached the Junior Final at the French Open this year. Despite the stir between the Argentinian tennis federation and the USTA (Argentina is claiming that they have helped Andrea Collarini for the past few years and therefore are demanding to be compensated financially) Andrea Collarini was recruited at the USTA headquarters in Boca Raton along with his Argentinian coach as the USTA believes this investment will make him th e next American tennis Idol.

I am certain that there are some big talents in the US that are just waiting to be discovered, but by choosing an Argentinian-American, the USTA  is sending the message that they will do whatever it takes to find the next American tennis icon.  One thing is for sure, they will have less pressure dealing with players and parents whom only goals are to make it in tennis, something normal for all other leading tennis nations in the world.

Could one or both of the american players who battled for the junior title this year at the US Open that saw the victory of Jack Sock from Kansas City be the next Pete Sampras? Time will tell…

Ronald Agénor

"The VA and the VIC Factor on the WTA Tour"
September 9, 2010

By Ronald Agénor

Ana Kournikova should have a statue of herself on Place Leningrad in Russia, but not for making the top 10 in the world in tennis or for being the most downloaded female athlete in the history, instead for clearing the way to the hundreds of VAS (name of players terminating with VA and  from Russian heritage) that have come to prominence in professional tennis.

She should also be inducted to the Tennis Hall of Fame for being an icon to Russian neighboring countries such as Serbia, Slovakia, Estonia, and Croatia that have been producing another version of the VAS: The VICS. ( Jankovic, Cilic, Ivanovic to name a few).

The women's main draw at the US Open this year is impressively filled with East European players and soon I predict that if other countries don't step it up, the WTA Tour could be renamed the EEWTA. (Eastern European Women's Tour Association).

The numbers are here: 27 players in the draw (not counting the qualies and the juniors) have a name finishing by VA. I can tell you that the VA factor is real and anytime you will see a name ending like this in a tournament, one can  automatically assume that the player is really good even without seeing her play.

The  VA factor is producing results on and off the court. I am of course in admiration for their willpower, the quality of their tennis,  and the dedication to the game that they have.  They have a commitment that many tennis nations don't have or do not have anymore.

This incredible determination for success is certainly driven by the VA factor, but also the "Blonde Bombshell" image.  Kournikova was the perfect representation of the tennis blonde icon that helped her win more money off the court than with her results on the court. She has achieved something unique becoming the richest female athlete at some point and also the only one reaching the top 10 in the world without a singles title.

No other sport in the world offers this unique opportnity that many VAS and VICS are trying to seize on a weekly basis and tennis management companies are all looking for the next blonde tennis bombshell that will bring in big numbers. Kournikova is still cashing in after retiring from the game a few years ago and Sharapova has been listed in the Forbes Magazine as the highest paid female athlete in the world with endorsements alone bringing in close to $30 Million Dollars in 2009.

So when the new Vas and lately the Vics (since Ana Ivanovic's title at the French Open) are about to start their tennis career, they have a solid plan in mind to reach the top ranking in the world, but to also be the next tennis bombshell as well that will help them bring in millions and millions of dollars in endorsements.

As the current VAS and VICS will keep their leading roles in the WTA Tour, it would be exciting to add a new type of tennis bombshell on the circuit. Can you imagine a Halle Berry, a Naomi Campbell or a Tyra Banks on the center court of the French Open or the US Open competing against a VIC or a VA?
I can!

Ronald Agénor

The Spanish Armada
September 8, 2010

By Ronald Agénor

When I looked at the Men's Singles Draw of the 2010 US Open, I was not surprised to see no less than 9 players still in competition in the second round. What a change from a decade  ago when most of the Spanish players would show up to the US Open with no real ambition other than to pick up the prize money, do some shopping, and visit the city of New York.

Nadal's historic victory at Wimbledon in 2008 has certainly changed the way the tennis world now views players coming from Spain and every skeptical tennis expert that thought that Spanish players could only win a grand slam if it is played on clay have been served. Not only did Nadal win 2 Wimbledon titles (2008 and 2010) on grass courts, but he also won the Australian Open played on supreme court (supreme is a synthetic surface).

Very few could have predicted that Spanish players would make such an impact in the world of tennis today by dominating the game with Rafael Nadal as "The King" and currently the world's top ranked player. The US Open is the only Grand Slam missing in Nadal's career and if he does not win it this year he will have a few more chances to do so. Nadal has helped the confidence of many other Spanish players to perform on fast courts, a playing ground that has been reserved for a long time for players coming from Australia, the United States, and most European countries.  Argentina being the exception with Nalbandian and of course Del Potro with his historic grand slam win in 2009 against Federer at the US Open.  South American players are now confident that they too can win a major on fast courts and not just only on clay as it has been the case with Gaston Gaudio, Gustavo Kuerten, Andres Gomez, and Guillermo Vilas (the last 4 south American players to win the French Open title on clay since 1968).

Rafael Nadal broke the tennis rules by winning Wimbledon with a supposedly "clay court" game (as labeled by tennis experts) and I have been saying all along that if the Professional Tour had two grand slams on clay instead of one, it would have been more fair  giving the "clay court specialists" and the Spanish players another chance to win another slam during the same year, reducing also the chances of players such as Sampras and Federer of winning so many majors. Federer cannot thank Soderling enough for knocking Nadal out of his way in 2009 for his lone French Open title.

On a more technical side, the “Spanish Armada” might seem to display a similar style of tennis, but if you take a close look, they are each different in their strokes and technique with Nadal of course being technically, physically, and mentally above all of them. He has consistently improved his game year after year and who knows h ow many grand slams he can win in the next few years on any surface.

Non Spanish players such as Andy Murray, Kuztnetstova, and a few others have chosen Spain and their world class academies to build their game and achieve great results, but be aware that the Spanish tennis style is not for everybody and certainly not for players that have no patience. The "Spanish style of play" requires extreme physical abilities, patience, and a strong will to succeed.  I asked a top Spanish coach what is it about their ability to produce top players year after year? He replied, "Ronald, tennis in Spain is like soccer. It is not a sport, it is a religion". That says it all.

The great Spanish tennis legends like Manolo Santana, Angel Gimeno, Jose Higueras, and Manuel Orantes showed the way to many other great Spanish players such as Corretja, Moya, Bruguera, Ferrero, Costa, and Sanchez (Arantxa and Emilio). Now Nadal, Verdasco, Ferrer, Lopez, Montanes, and others are clearing the way for a future generation of top spanish players already in the making. Nadal has also shut down all negative comments coming from TV tennis experts such as John McEnroe and Brad Gilbert (to name a few) that have never believed Spanish players could win a tournament like Wimbledon on grass courts with their style of play.

Spain has been a power force in the world of sports for a few years now excelling in many other disciplines such as cycling (Tour de France winners Miguel Indurain and Contador),  basketball with Spain winning the World title, and soccer with the Spanish national team winning the World Cup this year. With that kind of attitude and level of dedication, Spain has forged a strong collective identity that has been set to last for the years to come. "Vamos Espagna" like they always say in Spain.

Ronald Agénor