Is American Tennis Down a Set to Economics?
I have, for some time now, wanted to write about why I think American tennis has suffered in the recent past. Think back to a time, not long ago, when American tennis boasted multiple champions on both the men’s and women’s side. What happened to our dominance? Where are our champions?
As of writing this, the highest ranked male is John Isner, currently ranked 19th in the world. Outside of Serena Williams, the highest ranked female is her sister Venus, ranked 18th in the world. This says a great deal about Serena’s skill and tenacity, but where is everyone else? These are not easy questions to answer and there is no one thing that we can point to and say, “This is where the blame lies.” There is one aspect of the game though that frustrates me, as a coach, more than anything else, and that is the economics of the sport. Tennis can be very pricey, and the economic aspects of the sport can make it difficult or inaccessible to those outside of affluence. This, in turn, has a negative impact on the amount of American talent that can be nurtured.
Basic mathematics suggest that if you have greater numbers of players, you have a better chance that some of them will become champions. I fear that the economics of our sport make it difficult to boast the numbers that some other sports. Playing basketball requires very little in terms of economics. A basketball player will need a pair of sneakers and a ball. In many cases, the ball is not even necessary as a potential player can go to a local park and easily play in a pick up a game.
Tennis, on the other hand, requires that we have sneakers, have a racket, have tennis balls, and in many cases (at least in the boroughs) have a permit. However, there are ways to cut corners. A player could get a cheap racket online or perhaps from a sporting goods store. They may play with dead strings or dead balls. The point is that even when cutting corners, tennis is still more expensive and has more barriers to get through. I would argue that the situation is exacerbated when looking at high level competitive play. Being competitive (playing USTA Level 1, 2 and 3 tournaments) usually requires a junior to get private coaching, enroll in a club’s competitive program, and perhaps even employ a fitness coach as well. There is less cutting corners since strings will break and tournaments have entry fees. Again, I’m not arguing that there aren’t costs associated with high level basketball, but the costs associated with tennis seem far greater. The impact of these costs make it so that there will be less tennis players than basketball players. America excels at producing talented basketball players. The U.S. Men’s Basketball Team has won the Gold Medal in 14 out of the last 17 Olympic Games (not counting the boycotted games). The Women’s National team has won seven out of the last nine Olympic Games (again not counting the boycotted games). Where are the tennis phenoms of the United States? We haven’t won a Fed Cup since 2000, and haven’t won a Davis Cup since 2007.
I cannot go so far as to say that there is absolutely a direct correlation between the economics of the sport and our success on the world stage, but I think there is a very good argument that could be made that the economics of the sport have hindered us in growing the sport and nurturing talent. Lately, I’ve been cautiously optimistic about where we are going. I see players like Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys, and feel that we’re headed in the right direction. I may yet see more than one American male and female in the Top 10.
It’s not all doom and gloom though, as I don’t want to sound overly negative without seeing the silver lining. I wrote an article not too long ago about how I became a believer in the low compression balls that make it easier for young children to learn the sport and more importantly, to love the sport. Another point I’d like to add is to bring greater visibility to is the USTA’s Junior Team Tennis program.
Junior Team Tennis is an easy way for young children and juniors to take the next step in developing their talent. Going into a Level 3 USTA junior tournament for the first time can be nerve -wracking and exceptionally intimidating. JTT creates an intermediary place, between casual player and USTA junior tournaments, to play tennis with other juniors in a low pressure, but still competitive atmosphere. Children join a team, through the USTA Web site, and organizers set up matches between teams. Age groups for the teams range from 10 & Under to 18 & Under, and several clubs on Long Island are already holding practices. I’d like to encourage anyone who has an interest in growing tennis to participate.
