Jimmy Connors once shared his candid thoughts on the state of American men’s tennis. The former World No. 1 outlined the problems with the management of young talent and expressed concern about the declining interest in the sport.
Connors had been a central figure in the golden era of American men’s tennis, competing alongside John McEnroe and paving the way for Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and Jim Courier. Although Andy Roddick subsequently attained the World No. 1 ranking and triumphed at the 2003 US Open, by the time the 2010 edition of the New York Major rolled around, he remained the last American man to win a Grand Slam singles title.
While speaking to the media amid the US Open, Jimmy Connors called out the US tennis community for becoming complacent, asserting that the country had been “spoiled” by decades of dominance. The former World No. 1 expressed frustration with the “instant panic” caused by the absence of top American stars and said that the alarm should’ve been raised much earlier.
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"The U.S. is spoiled and they’ve been very spoiled. They’ve had the best players in the world for so many years and now all of a sudden they don’t have people in the top 10 for a week or two and there’s instant panic. It shouldn’t be instant panic – it should be there already," Jimmy Connors said.
Connors also laid out the faults in the player development, suggesting that kids were introduced to tennis too late, which made it difficult for them to turn into top stars.
"Somebody is to blame. It’s a matter of who is to blame. Why don’t the kids want to go out and play tennis? They do, but we get them too late. They go through soccer, basketball and baseball and by the time they come to tennis they’re 16 and 17 years old and it is too late. We need to figure out a way to get the kids when they’re young, eight and nine years old," he said.
Jimmy Connors further stated that "a change" was required in the leadership of the sport in the US, arguing that it was the "definition of insanity" to continue with the same approach when it had proven to not yield success.
"Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are the favorites... If Novak Djokovic would win that would be a surprise" - Jimmy Connors on his prediction for US Open 2010
In the same press conference, Jimmy Connors expressed his belief that top seed Rafael Nadal and No. 2 seed Roger Federer were the favorites to triumph at the 2010 US Open. The eight-time Grand Slam champion also suggested that Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick had the ability to contend for the title.
"Federer and Nadal (are the favorites) and I think Murray has a good chance, (it) depends on how he handles certain situations. To be honest, I think Mardy Fish has a good chance if he can handle the three out of five sets in a two-week period. Andy, I don’t think you can ever count Andy Roddick out because he’s got too many big weapons and the experience, to count him out," Jimmy Connors said.
On the other hand, Connors said that he would be very surprised if Novak Djokovic managed to clinch his maiden title at the New York Major.
"I don’t know about Djokovic, the jury is still out with him as far as winning a U.S. Open and everything it takes. Not just on the court. If he would win that would be a surprise to me," he added.
Contrary to Jimmy Connors' belief, Djokovic produced a stellar campaign at the US Open and even claimed a 5-7, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 win over Federer in the semifinals. However, the Serb fell short against Nadal in the final, with the Spaniard securing a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 victory to clinch his ninth Major title and complete the career Grand Slam.
