American men suffer worst Wimbledon in over 100 years
Source: Agencies |
June 29, 2013, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
FOR the first time in 101 years no American will be playing in the third round of the men's singles at Wimbledon.
That dismal fact was confirmed on Thursday when the United States' last man standing, 156th-ranked qualifier Bobby Reynolds, bowed out to world No. 1 Novak Djokovic on Centre Court.
His failure completed a dismal day for the US after 33-year-old James Blake was outclassed by Australian Bernard Tomic and Denis Kulda also lost in straight sets to Croat Ivan Dodig.
The statistics really do make for depressing reading. The last time American men failed to reach the third round was 1912, when in fact none entered the draw.
In 1911, one American competed in the men's singles but perished before the third round.
The US men have now gone a record 39 grand slams in a row without a triumph - comfortably beating the 31 blanks they suffered from the 1955 US Open to Wimbledon in 1963.
It was a bitter blow for Blake, bidding to reach the third round at the All England Club for the first time in six years. He could never get to grips with the rangy Tomic, who is 13 years his junior.
The US used to have a production line that developed glorious players such as John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras, and Andre Agassi who were constantly battling for the No. 1 spot.
Not any more.
Andy Roddick was the last American man to win a grand slam and hold the No. 1 ranking in 2003 but he retired last year. Sam Querrey is their top player at 19th but lost in five sets to Tomic in the first round.
The only other American men in the world's top 50 are John Isner (21), who retired hurt after two games of his second-round match on Wednesday, and Mardy Fish (43) who was unable to play at Wimbledon due to a heart condition.
The contrast between the men's performances and the US women's game could not be sharper with defending Wimbledon champion Serena Williams so utterly dominant and a string of promising youngsters like Madison Keys and 17th-seeded Sloane Stephens coming through.
"It's a tough stat to hear, but I still believe, right now, where US tennis is, not too many guys are in their prime," said Kudla. "That's why the numbers are like that. A lot of guys are in the tail end of their careers and a lot of guys are coming up."
That dismal fact was confirmed on Thursday when the United States' last man standing, 156th-ranked qualifier Bobby Reynolds, bowed out to world No. 1 Novak Djokovic on Centre Court.
His failure completed a dismal day for the US after 33-year-old James Blake was outclassed by Australian Bernard Tomic and Denis Kulda also lost in straight sets to Croat Ivan Dodig.
The statistics really do make for depressing reading. The last time American men failed to reach the third round was 1912, when in fact none entered the draw.
In 1911, one American competed in the men's singles but perished before the third round.
The US men have now gone a record 39 grand slams in a row without a triumph - comfortably beating the 31 blanks they suffered from the 1955 US Open to Wimbledon in 1963.
It was a bitter blow for Blake, bidding to reach the third round at the All England Club for the first time in six years. He could never get to grips with the rangy Tomic, who is 13 years his junior.
The US used to have a production line that developed glorious players such as John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras, and Andre Agassi who were constantly battling for the No. 1 spot.
Not any more.
Andy Roddick was the last American man to win a grand slam and hold the No. 1 ranking in 2003 but he retired last year. Sam Querrey is their top player at 19th but lost in five sets to Tomic in the first round.
The only other American men in the world's top 50 are John Isner (21), who retired hurt after two games of his second-round match on Wednesday, and Mardy Fish (43) who was unable to play at Wimbledon due to a heart condition.
The contrast between the men's performances and the US women's game could not be sharper with defending Wimbledon champion Serena Williams so utterly dominant and a string of promising youngsters like Madison Keys and 17th-seeded Sloane Stephens coming through.
"It's a tough stat to hear, but I still believe, right now, where US tennis is, not too many guys are in their prime," said Kudla. "That's why the numbers are like that. A lot of guys are in the tail end of their careers and a lot of guys are coming up."
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