US Tennis Lacking Depth
Tennis in the States is losing its depth with few highly ranked players around at present. There are some top guns around including Venus and Serena Williams, however they can run hot and cold as does Andy Roddick who has probably put his best behind him.
Sam Querrey is one player touted as the next top hope, however he is still not setting the place on fire. Apart from Sam, there doesn’t appear to be any young talent coming through the ranks.
The U.S. Tennis Association should have a role in developing young players through to the elite level. Almost every other major tennis playing nation has a strong junior development program - except the US. I cannot think of any US player that has come through a USTA development program. Most have either started in another country and migrated to the States, or, like the Williams sisters, made their own way into the big wide tennis world.
If the USTA is to develop a strong youth squad then it will need good leadership, adequate funds, and a commitment to a 10 year plan. Otherwise, they are only playing at edges and they will continue to fail to develop top ranked players. We will have to wait for players to develop on their own.
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