Sep
3
Written by:
editor
9/3/2009 11:52 AM
In an article by Martin Rogers on Yahoo the other day, Martin talks about the decline of American tennis. He argues that Americans are not working hard enough and that many of our best athletes are playing sports other than tennis.
I argue that the reason for the decline in American tennis is due to what our juniors are being taught. Seven years ago in 2002, Pete Sampras beat Andre Agassi. Pete attacked the net at every opportunity. During that same period, we saw the Australian Pat Rafter attack even the serve of his opponent and win Grand Slams.
We need to go back and teach our juniors HOW to attack. I very rarely see a junior at a tournament today who can play between the service line and the net. They can't approach, they can't volley, they can't hit overheads. The USTA would be well advised to encourage coaches all over America and juniors who want to play ITF tournaments to develop more than just a forehand.
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