U.S. Stars Seek Grand Slam Answers
American tennis, once the envy of the world, is now propped up by Serena and Venus Williams on the women's side and mired in the longest U.S. Grand Slam men's singles title drought.
As the U.S. Open returns to the Flushing Meadows hardcourts for the U.S. Open fortnight that starts on Monday, it has been nine years since Andy Roddick won the U.S. Open at age 21, taking the baton from Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.
But since then, Swiss legend Roger Federer has become a 17-time Grand Slam winner, Spain's Rafael Nadal has won 11 Slam crowns and Serbian Novak Djokovic has captured five, including four of the past seven and the 2011 U.S. Open.
"It's going to take some great tennis to crack those top three," Roddick said. "They are three of the best we've seen ever and they are certainly playing to it right now."
Since Russian Marat Safin won the 2005 Australian Open, the only men's Slam singles title not won by the game's three current superstars was by Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina in a five-set upset of Federer in the 2009 U.S. Open final.
Roddick, a three-time Wimbledon finalist since his lone Grand Slam title, sees no woes for U.S. men's tennis any more than any nation that lacks Federer, Djokovic or Nadal, whose sore knees will keep him out of this year's U.S. Open.
"I think it's healthy," Roddick said of U.S. men's tennis. "The question is always a tough one for me to answer because we deal in the context of a worldwide talent pool, which isn't the case with a lot of sports the U.S. focuses on."
U.S. fans went from the era of Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe to one dominated by Agassi and Sampras. Now U.S. men have gone a record 35 Grand Slams in a row without a title, and counting.
Former World No. 1 Roddick, now ranked 21, turns 30 on August 30. He has 32 career singles titles and at least one in each of the past 12 seasons and brings some confidence to New York after wins at Queen's and Atlanta.
"The last two months has been the best tennis I have played this year," Roddick said. "I've been in the (U.S. Open) quarters eight times. I feel like I can do it. I've done it many times."
The other top U.S. hope is World No. 10 John Isner, a big-serving 27-year-old whose most recent of four ATP crowns came last month at Newport.
"John is playing well," Roddick said. "He should have been there a couple years ago with that serve. It's just such a weapon.
"Hopefully it will come strong in New York, too. He has had a great year, but probably hasn't played his best in the Slams."
And that's the measuring stick for many, especially on the women's side, where the U.S. has tasted success with Venus and Serena Williams.
But the most recent American woman whose last name was not Williams to win a Grand Slam singles title was Jennifer Capriati at the 2002 Australian Open.
The Williams sisters, who trained with each other outside the U.S. junior system to become the world's finest players, are closer to the end of their careers than the start. Venus is 32 and Serena will turn 31 next month.
Still, Venus has won seven Slam crowns and Serena owns 14, most recently at Wimbledon in July. While they have dabbled in fashion and fame to escape the grind of tennis at times, age has not robbed them of world-class form.
"I think nowadays tennis players are seeing that you can play great tennis into your 30s," Venus Williams said. "A lot of people were brainwashed early that you had to quit. It's really not the way it is.
"By the time you get to this age you really understand the game, the nuances -- you are just getting better as long as you can stay healthy enough to play. We stay healthy enough to play."
Venus is fighting back after being diagnosed with a rare auto-immune disease, Sjogren's Syndrome.
"For her to have a highlight in the middle of this rough patch is probably real big for her," Roddick said.
But he gives his highest praise to Serena Williams, whose Wimbledon crown ended a two-year major drought and was quickly followed with Olympic gold on the same London grass courts.
"She has proven herself to be a great champion," Roddick said. "Four or five years ago she was below 100 in the world, people were wondering if that was it. She came back and dominated."
With no young U.S. stars in sight, Venus Williams says she and her sister feel a duty to inspire a new generation and give all they can.
"Knowing that we have so much more to give, that we have great tennis in our racquets, is so motivating," she said. "We want to be able to, when we're done, to look back and say we gave everything. That's important to us."
Source: Agence France Presse
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