The future of American tennis is brighter than you think

Due to lackluster results in pro tennis’ four major tournaments, people often criticize the state of American tennis, particularly on the men’s side. Take this year’s recently completed Wimbledon for example as the latest ammunition for the American tennis naysayers: it’s the first Grand Slam in 100 years that a single American didn’t reach the round of 16. To steal a line from from arguably America’s most famous tennis player, John McEnroe, YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS about any U.S. player breaking up the Slams stranglehold currently claimed by Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray.

Despite Old Glory’s undeniable shortcomings in the Grand Slam standings, however, American tennis might be taking a turn for the better, at least from this high school tennis player’s perspective.

Qualifier Noah Rubin defeated Stefan Kozlov in the Wimbledon junior boys’ title in an All-American final, that’s right All-American final! U.S. player Taylor Harry Fritz advanced to the semifinals and four other Americans qualified for the Round of 16 within the Big W’s junior draw. And while it’s not exactly the Golden Era of American tennis a la Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Michael Chang and Todd Martin or even the Spanish Armada with Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer and friends, currently six U.S. players are ranked within the ATP Top 100 led by big-serving John Isner, the No. 12 player on the planet. Sam Querrey (No. 63), Steve Johnson (69), Donald Young (70), Bradley Klahn (74), Jack Sock (76) comprise the rest of America’s best. Plus, our country claims intriguing floaters like Ryan Harrison, whose No. 144 in the world but capable of considerably more.

Closer to home, I discovered even more encouraging news on the American tennis front.

In fact, I had the chance to sit down with Mackenzie McDonald, who played No. 3 singles for UCLA as a freshman last year, at the Nielsen Pro Tennis Championships in Winnetka last week. Feeding off the momentum of a quarterfinals appearance in the NCAA singles championship in the spring, the promising McDonald advanced to the semifinals of the Nielsen Pro Tennis Championships, a highly-regarded tournament which annually attracts rising stars and seasoned veterans from around the world.

Despite losing to Farrukh Dustov of Uzbekistan in the semifinals, McDonald looked sharp throughout the tournament, highlighted by winning three qualifying matches to earn an entry into the draw. McDonald impressed onlookers as he proceeded to upset fifth-seeded Sam Groth of Australia 5-7, 7-6 (8), 6-3 in the first round, before extending his momentum to secure two more match wins against Takanyi Garanganga of Zimbabwe 6-2, 7-5 and Adrien Bossel of Switzerland 6-3, 6-4.   

When asked how he confounded opponents on the court, McDonald told me that his impeccable footwork sets him apart from the pack, granting him the ability reach shots that others simply couldn’t. Indeed, McDonald’s footwork bore an uncanny resemblance to ATP World No. 1 Djokovic (this year’s Wimbledon champion) due to a tendency to slide to difficult shots, something few possess the ability to do efficiently.

Yet McDonald’s footwork is not the only strength that he possesses. He frequently runs around his backhand to hit a powerful inside-out forehand, which he deems as one of his deadliest shots. McDonald, 19, believes he has added even more weapons thanks to the training he has received from his private coach as well as his coach at UCLA, in addition to advice from more experienced teammates whom McDonald admires.     

Along with McDonald’s standout performance, fellow American Denis Kudla, another rising star with more experience on the pro circuit, found his way from Wimbledon to Winnetka to compete in the tournament. Kudla, ranked 120 in the ATP rankings, was bounced out of Wimbledon in the second round before arriving at the Nielsen Pro Tennis Championships. He won the tournament by making quick work of Dustov 6-2, 6-2 in championship match. Kudla’s speed and deadly serve separated him from the rest of the field. Past singles champions at the Nielsen tourney include Sam Querrey (2006) and James Blake (2011).

In this year’s doubles tournament, Kudla joined Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis to capture the title. Along with Nick Kyrgios, who upset Nadal at Wimbledon, Kokkinakis is regarded as the future of Australian tennis.

Interestingly, the Nielsen Pro Tennis Championships certainly featured more than just promising players from the United States. Thai twins Sochai and Sonchat Ratiwatana, the top seed in the doubles draw, were not only excellent players (the tandem has been ranked as high as No. 39 in the world) but also comported themselves as amiable gentleman off the court. They spent great amounts of time discussing tennis strategy and playing styles with a group of spectators including myself. Their laid-back approach and desire to engage with others before a crucial match was a unique and uncommon occurrence at a high-level tournament such as the Nielsen Pro Tennis Championships.

Their sage advice to fans about handling the net was certainly on display during their spirited run through the doubles draw, which was cut short by the pairing of McDonald and Martin Redlicki, who will be joining McDonald as an incoming freshman at UCLA. Redlicki appears poised to make a major and immediate impact on the NCAA level.

In all, American tennis appears to have a bright future ahead of it. The United States essentially bum-rushed the Wimbledon junior draw with a litany of title contenders, boasts a handful of currently ranked players and also offers potential-filled players like Kudla and McDonald.

For more information about the tournament, visit nielsenprotennis.com.

Marty Farmer contributed to this story.