| YES | NO | |
|---|---|---|
| Point -- It's the first time that there weren't at least two Americans in the top 16 seeds since Wimbledon first had at least that many men seeded, in 1968. | Counterpoint -- Andre Agassi is missing the tournament with an injury and strong servers such as Taylor Dent can play well in Wimbledon despite his 24th seed. | Conclusion: Problem Patrick McEnroe puts it best when he says: "It is worrisome to me, clearly, with the exception of Roddick, the other guys who have been knocking on the door of becoming top-20 players ... have not gotten there." |
| Point -- For the second time in the Open era the United States has failed to advance a man past the second round of the French Open. The last time it happened -- last year. | Counterpoint -- The French Open is on clay and American men traditionally struggle mightily on clay. Only three Americans have won the title at Roland Garros in the Open era. | Conclusion: Problem Just because American men have not won the French Open very often doesn't mean they haven't consistently been able to win a match or two. |
| Point -- Only one American man and two American women are even in the top 10 of their respective rankings and Andy Roddick is the highest ranked man at No. 5. | Counterpoint -- Only Russia can claim to have more top 10 players than the United States overall, with Wimbledon going on and the U.S. Open still to come, more Americans are likely to creep into the top 10 and nobody besides Russia and the U.S. have more than one woman in the top 10. | Conclusion Problem The numbers can be misleading, especially on the WTA, as you look past Lindsay Davenport and Serena Williams (the top American women), there are only six American women overall in the top 50 and all of them are on the downsides of their career. |
| Point -- In the five Grand Slam events since Andy Roddick's U.S. Open title in 2003, the United States has only produced one Grand Slam winner -- Serena Williams (who skipped the French Open and is out of Wimbledon) in this year's Australian Open. | Counterpoint -- Andy Roddick made last year's Wimbledon final and is a threat at all of the majors except for the French Open. Serena would've been a contender at the French Open if she hadn't withdrawn with an ankle injury and she made the Wimbledon final last year besides her win in the Australian Open. Lindsay Davenport consistently makes Grand Slam semifinals and is always a threat to add another major title to her trophy case. | Conclusion Non-Issue The top tier of American tennis is still in somewhat decent shape as Andy Roddick and Serena Williams are still young enough to compete for Grand Slam titles over the next few years and will probably win a few more. It's the lack of depth that is the biggest problem with American tennis. |
| Point -- American television ratings are down for tennis across the board and attendance is also lacking in many of the most high-profile American tournaments. | Counterpoint -- Tennis has always had a niche audience and its supporters are as rabid as ever. | Conclusion Problem Even through the 90s with Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, and Monica Seles; tennis reached a broader audience and enjoyed a lofty standing in American sport. With fewer American stars and the rise of golf with Tiger Woods and cycling with Lance Armstrong, tennis has fallen down the individual sports chart. |
| Point -- The United States has not won the Davis Cup since 1995, the longest American drought in 68 years. The United States has not won a Fed Cup since 2000 after winning three in the 1990s. | Counterpoint -- The best American players often skip the Davis Cup and the Fed Cup. The United States did make the Davis Cup final last year before losing to Spain and is always in the mix of the Fed Cup. | Conclusion Non-Issue Despite the U.S. team's upset loss to Croatia in this year's Davis Cup, the United States has competed and made finals in both the Davis and Fed Cups in recent years. |
| Point -- Of the young rising stars in the junior circuit there is only one American male or female that is expected to be a serious contender, Donald Young. | Counterpoint -- The junior tennis circuit always goes in cycles. In a matter of time there will be a crop of great young American players that will dominate the sport the same way Chang, Courier, Sampras and Agassi did on the men's side; and Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati and the Williams sisters did on the women's side. | Conclusion: Problem With only one potential star on the horizon there is no reason to expect that a slew of promising juniors will magically appear out of thin air. The best tennis players are younger than in any sport except figure skating or gymnastics, so to expect some "late-bloomers" is highly unlikely. |