tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-757702474597183495.post3291211014911040586..comments2023-09-20T10:27:39.247-05:00Comments on Savannah's World: USTA Names New Head of Player DevelopmentSavannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15079111598976360942noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-757702474597183495.post-43954727531881701712015-04-06T13:34:51.969-05:002015-04-06T13:34:51.969-05:00Flirtation with illegal drugs? Really? Smoking a b...Flirtation with illegal drugs? Really? Smoking a blunt might be a "flirtation". Meth, crack and drugs like oxy are not flirted with. That the USTA/ATP knew and hid the "flirtation" makes it possible for anyone to describe his use as something done in passing. If that was happening today he'd be out or at least suffer a long suspension. When I look at Agassi despite his game being more nuanced than Sampras' was I see privilege afforded by his Federation and that takes away from his achievements. Don't forget there were rumors about drug use when it came to his back treatments late in his career, rumors that were said to be false of course.<br /><br />As for Sampras early in his career he had a more varied game but as he aged he became what we call today a servebot. <br /><br />Did they have a work ethic? I guess for their time they did have good ones. They were pampered and protected and shielded from scrutiny by not only their Federation but by the "tennis media". There were no bloggers back then so we have only the manufactured images fed to fans to rely on about what was really happening. US tennis reporters ignored the European press and suffered no penalties for doing so.<br /><br />The current crop of US players could use a swift kick in the ass by those that have gone before them but the Federation has only itself to blame for the younger generations attitude. Look at Bernard Tomic for example. Not a US player but he was given a Black Card and had his every whim catered to before he'd done anything of significance on the tennis court. Was it any different for US players? There's no way of knowing because no one is talking who is in a position to know. <br /><br />When these kids age out of the "system" they have to produce results on the tennis court and that is when they falter. Their skills don't match those of the Europeans and they end up ranked in the 50-80 range or lower relying on wild cards to get them into big tournaments.<br /><br />There is one other thing. talents like Sampras or even Agassi don't know how they did what they did. Prodigies can't explain why they were great or how they are able to do the things they do and therefore make lousy coaches. Cheerleaders are one thing. US players need quality coaches.<br /><br />At the moment the Europeans are better than the US men and many women as well. The time to learn how to construct a point is not in your late teens. The time to learn is when you're first able to play a junior tournament. If you can go back and read James Blake's comments, the ones I posted a few weeks ago, when he was lobbying for the post Mr. Blackman now has. That was a depressing read for me.<br /><br />I'm not impressed with Kokkinakis yet which is why I hardly ever mention him. He's good but I don't see great in him. Yet. <br /><br />Of course all of this is just my opinion and I could end up proven wrong. That's what makes tennis so fascinating.Savannahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15079111598976360942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-757702474597183495.post-3403842002068980122015-04-06T10:34:14.974-05:002015-04-06T10:34:14.974-05:00I disagree with this so much. Putting aside Agass...I disagree with this so much. Putting aside Agassi's flirtation with illegal drugs, what these former pros had in common is a work ethic that is not being seen by the US men (I am going to leave the women out of this discussion). Sampras, Blake & Roddick had a professional approach to tennis. They played fair and were known as hard working professionals. One of the reasons why the US men are doing so dismally is not because of their games, but more about their approach to their game. Perhaps having mentors of the likes of Sampras, Agassi et al will give them something to work towards. <br /><br />You mentioned the up and comers from Europe. What have they done that US men have not done? If they make it to the latter rounds of tournament their inexperience and lack of strategy makes them get their walking papers the same way that the US men get theirs. <br /><br />There is something to be said for the hit hard and harder approach. For the one/two strike as a strategy. I agree that there is also a need for players to play strategic tennis (not like that mess that passed for a men's match in Miami). <br /><br />The fact remains that as good as we think these European, Japanese or wherever else they may come from, young players are, until they have proven otherwise an unknown quantity. Frankly, I have watched Coric, Cheong and the other young guys that are coming up and the only one that I see who may have the potential to make waves is Kokkinakis. Give him a few more years, some muscle, and voila he should be challenging the top guys. <br />Overhead Spinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13838462340734632101noreply@blogger.com