When I think about the dearth and paucity (yes, I am an
English teacher) of great American tennis players, I have several theories as
to why we are producing so little in the way of true champions. First, everything I said about Ferrer
in my previous blog I see lacking in American tennis players. Perhaps because of our culture of fast
rewards and instant gratification, perhaps because of our parenting styles, who
knows why, but I do not see a lot of players who are great competitors, who are
willing to put in grueling work to win a long point, or who maximize their
potential.
With the exception of maybe John Isner (I am still not 100
percent sold on him, though I do like him), I do not see any American players
right now whom I consider great
fighters. Donald Young is a waste
of talent, a moper, a whiner, and the farthest thing from a fighter. Queerie has no fire in the belly and
seems so lethargic and apathetic that I have a hard time not falling asleep
when watching him. Roddick’s best
days have passed him by (though he is one I do admire and I think has gotten
short shrift for his great accomplishments), and Harrison is yet to fully break
through. Harrison may have the
potential to tame that temper and turn into a fighter. The jury is still out on him.
I see all of this (perhaps I am reading way too much into
the metaphor, but like I said, I AM and English teacher) as part of a larger
cultural statement. I think a lot
of this comes down to our way of life and what we value and are becoming here
in America. Kids today in the U.S.
expect fast rewards. They often do
not want to put in the boring drudge work of hours and hours of detailed
routine. They want the quick, flashy
dunk, not the fundamental bounce-pass and bank shot. They want the huge, thumping forehand winner, not the 37 point
grinding clay court rally win where you wear your open out. Many kids here are also raised to
believe they are truly “special” and deserve special treatment. This is surely not the case for all
American kids, but I see it every day at work, and I think it is true for many,
many of them.
When you combine all of the above cultural factors with our
eating habits and the fact that there are so many sports to choose from (in
addition to the fact that any great athlete on any urban corner can go play a
pickup game of basketball any time for free, whereas to get tennis equipment, a
coach, courts to play on, and travel on the tournament circuit is a bit more
expensive and involved), it does not
spell success for our youth tennis program.
What are the lessons here? To me, it reinforces the need for us to get back to
basics. We need to start valuing
hard work and maximizing potential more than flashy God-given talent. We need to emphasize that success and
rewards take time and patience and perseverance. We need all of our kids not to feel so “special” that
they think they are entitled and things should come easier for them.
Maybe we should spend a bit more time watching Rafa or
Ferrer work a 43-point clay court rally than Kobe or LeBron make some fancy
dunk, or some football player celebrate for 20 seconds after a sack when his
team is losing by 23 points?
Sometimes there is beauty in simplicity and tenacity.
AD OUT.
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