Early Exits

I frequently read LongIslandTennisMagazine.com, and the article entitled "Todd Martin Named to USTA Board" caught my eye. Todd Martin is a great choice for USTA leadership. By all accounts, Mr. Martin is a very classy guy and a true tennis gentleman. He replaces Jeff Tarango who started his "two-year term as director-at-large in January 2011." Jeff Tarango, the man who Andre Agassi said made him cry at age 10 by cheating to win the match and then running off. The man that The New York Times in 2000 described as "better known for his tantrums than for his play" was nominated by incoming USTA President Jonathan Vegosen for a significant board position.

I don’t want to unfairly bash Jeff Tarango, yet I cannot help but wonder why someone with a past of questionable behavior would be seen as qualified for such an important role in the USTA? Perhaps the answer to this rhetorical question is that while Jeff Tarango’s record speaks for itself, so does the USTA’s. Jeff Tarango, holds the dubious distinction as the first man to walk off the court and quit a match at Wimbledon in 1995 after telling the crowd to "shut up" and accusing the umpire of fixing the match, served nine out of 24 months at his recent USTA appointment. Michael Jordan once said, "You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take." The USTA took a shot on Jeff Tarango … they missed.