Most Overrated Juniors

eeytennis

Semi-Pro
I was just wondering who you think are the most overrated juniors in the USTA.

Well it depends on how you define overrated. There are juniors who have accomplished a lot in the junior tennis world but fizzled out when they tried to go pro. And then there are players who won't make it as a pro but still are overrated. Donald Young and Lauren Embree are my picks for most overrated players. They are both great players but could never make it on the pro tour.
 

SoCal10s

Hall of Fame
Yup Donald Young, everyone had such high hopes for him. Then he flopped.

totally disagree.. Donald Young was/is not the most over rated Junior .. he won 2 Kalamazoo back to back... so as a junior he was not over rated .. just didn't lived up to everybody's high expectations.,,
 
How has Lauren Embree not made it on the pro circuit? She has not even played consistently on the circuit and she is going to college instead of turning pro right away
 

eeytennis

Semi-Pro
How has Lauren Embree not made it on the pro circuit? She has not even played consistently on the circuit and she is going to college instead of turning pro right away

The fact of the matter is that if a girl hasn't gone pro and had at least some success by the time they turn 16 or 17, then she's not going to make it on the pro tour, period. Sad, but true.
 
totally disagree.. Donald Young was/is not the most over rated Junior .. he won 2 Kalamazoo back to back... so as a junior he was not over rated .. just didn't lived up to everybody's high expectations.,,


Great post...Donald also won the Australian Open and Wimbleton Junior Championship singles and U.S. Open Doubles....a feat not likely to be duplicated by any other USTA boys.

Nick B. and every other top coach always hedged their bets with Donald as far as his success after juniors...they said "If he gets bigger and stronger". His frame is what it is, yet he still rose to 73 ATP at one point.

Donald would not be an overrated junior since he has had more junior success than almost anyone.
 
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Rob_C

Hall of Fame
Tim Neilly...haven't heard much about him since he won the Orange Bowl. He beat Donald Young that year.

Neilly qualified for, and got to the finals of one of the Fla. clay court Futures this past May. From what little I know, it seems he doesn't have enough/any sponsorship to travel to play tourneys.

Seems logical as he pretty much only plays the Fla Futures tourneys.

Also, from watching Unstrung, it seems he has to contribute to the household expenses for him and his Mom.
 
Neilly qualified for, and got to the finals of one of the Fla. clay court Futures this past May. From what little I know, it seems he doesn't have enough/any sponsorship to travel to play tourneys.

Seems logical as he pretty much only plays the Fla Futures tourneys.

Also, from watching Unstrung, it seems he has to contribute to the household expenses for him and his Mom.

Thanks for the update. Good to hear he is still battling for his dream.
 

eeytennis

Semi-Pro
Sure Donald Young accomplished a lot in the juniors, but he was touted as the next American hope for the ATP. And doesn't the USTA want to develop players the represent the USA on the WTA and ATP tour? Donald Young fizzled out, he wasn't good enough to make it as a professional.
 
Sure Donald Young accomplished a lot in the juniors, but he was touted as the next American hope for the ATP. And doesn't the USTA want to develop players the represent the USA on the WTA and ATP tour? Donald Young fizzled out, he wasn't good enough to make it as a professional.

I think this thread was about USTA current juniors who people feel are overrated. Like kids who have websites and/or videos and are called great but don't have much junior success. Donald Young got all the press AND lived up to it by having huge success as a junior.

Other juniors have gotten press yet have not done much. Some others are great at picking and choosing tournaments to have top rankings, yet are not truly the best players.

Donald Young is just 19 and has already reached as high as 73 in the world. He has earned almost $500000 the last few years between singles and doubles. Is he ever going to reach the top 10 like some folks thought....most likely not.

But from what I understood this thread was not asking for great juniors who flopped as pros. It was asking for players overrated in juniors.
 
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I think this thread was about USTA current juniors who people feel are overrated. Like kids who have websites and/or videos and are called great but don't have much junior success. Donald Young got all the press AND lived up to it by having huge success as a junior.

Other juniors have gotten press yet have not done much. Some others are great at picking and choosing tournaments to have top rankings, yet are not truly the best players.

Donald Young is just 19 and has already reached as high as 73 in the world. He has earned almost $500000 the last few years between singles and doubles. Is he ever going to reach the top 10 like some folks thought....most likely not.

But from what I understood this thread was not asking for great juniors who flopped as pros. It was asking for players overrated in juniors.

Exactly right Tenniscoach. Thanks for clearing it up! I was wondering who in the juniors people consider overrated.
 

norcal22

New User
ok. everybody has to stop saying donald young.

lets see, some currently overrated juniors are... johnny wang and michael guzman come to mind
 

TnsMan2

Banned
Mr. Donald Young if a real disappointment, so much talent ,so much potential , yet He has the wrong people around Him and they have let Him down .
 
ok. everybody has to stop saying donald young.

lets see, some currently overrated juniors are... johnny wang and michael guzman come to mind

wrong and wrong. Guzman is solid. He is going to be a freshman this year and he is still having pretty solid 16s results. I played him recently and I was impressed with his game. His game has a lot of room for improvement too. He will be real good. And come on Johnny Wang, really? Are you just saying that because he had a bad sectionals? I mean the guy is struggling a little bit lately but he's still a stud
 
Mr. Donald Young if a real disappointment, so much talent ,so much potential , yet He has the wrong people around Him and they have let Him down .

Wow, another brand new user who punctuates just like BB does and heads right to the junior board. Punctuating HIM in the middle of the sentence, just like BB, who also likes to take shots at Donald Young. Interesting.

Anyway, a few people have corrected this already. This thread is not about juniors who did not make it big in the pros. It is about juniors who were touted yet did not win in the juniors.

Young has won more big junior tourneys than any other American. Several junior Grand Slams and Kalamazoos and Orange Bowl. If anything, Young is the best American junior in decades.

He reached #73 in the pros at age 19. He did not grow much after age 15, he has a small frame. Genetics is what it is. He has achieved a ton....#73 in the pros is amazing for such a relatively small man.

Nick B. and other coaches said over and over and over again from age 12 on that Donald would go as far as his growth took him. It became obvious by age 16-17 that he had a small frame relative to the top tennis men. Both in height and the weight his body could hold. Unlike Chang who was short but had tree trunk legs which gave him speed and relatively lots of power for a shorter man.

Donald Young would be the exact OPPOSITE of what the IP has explained this thread's purpose is numerous times.
 
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tenniscrazed

Guest
Wow, another brand new user who punctuates just like BB does and heads right to the junior board. Punctuating HIM in the middle of the sentence, just like BB, who also likes to take shots at Donald Young. Interesting.

Yes, by golly I think you found another cockroach in the kitchen.

So what we got now, firstserve, Tnsman2 for sure. tenniscp (very likely related) anybody want to contribute? Hey what about a thread "can you name all of bb's screen names :).
 
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DownTheLine

Hall of Fame
Well isn't Donald young still very young, like 18 years old? If so, he has alot more time in front of him to mature.
 

BMG

Rookie
Wow, another brand new user who punctuates just like BB does and heads right to the junior board. Punctuating HIM in the middle of the .............Donald Young would be the exact OPPOSITE of what the IP has explained this thread's purpose is numerous times.

Exactly! We should start an "Overrated tennis father thread" and BB would win hands down......ironic since he (and his many thread names) pretty much is the one giving himself raves!

I agree; Donald Young is/was anything BUT overrated. I think BB is having another "senile Sybil" moment.:)
 

flat

Rookie
He reached #73 in the pros at age 19. He did not grow much after age 15, he has a small frame. Genetics is what it is. He has achieved a ton....#73 in the pros is amazing for such a relatively small man.

DY is listed at 5'11", and 160lbs. He could use a little more weight, but I wouldn't say that's small framed. Agassi was a generous 5'11", and listed at 180lbs...but I think earlier in his career must have been closer to 160lbs. I bet I can find bunch of guys shorter on than 5'11" on the tour.

#73 isn't bad. So I'm not knocking him for that. I'm just wondering if "small frame" is truly the reason.

ps: I've never seen DY play, or in person. so this is an honest question.
 
DY is listed at 5'11", and 160lbs. He could use a little more weight, but I wouldn't say that's small framed. Agassi was a generous 5'11", and listed at 180lbs...but I think earlier in his career must have been closer to 160lbs. I bet I can find bunch of guys shorter on than 5'11" on the tour.

#73 isn't bad. So I'm not knocking him for that. I'm just wondering if "small frame" is truly the reason.

ps: I've never seen DY play, or in person. so this is an honest question.

I remember when Allen Iverson was a rookie they had him listed at 6"1" and 175 lbs. My buddy had season tickets and we went to an event and literally stood right next to AI. My guess is he was 5'9" and 150 lbs. Sports figures exaggerate size all the time.

Anyway, Donald Young, who I have seen 7-8 times as a junior is a small boned guy. Some guys are 5'10" and can carry 40 lbs. more weight and still be athletic...small boned guys can't.

Donald is more likely 5'9" or so, maybe 150 lbs at most.

He is only 19, he can get stronger. But will he be able to battle the top 10?

I think Donald has done very well so far, all those major junior titles and hitting 73 in the world while still a teen is nothing to be ashamed of.
 
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Yes, by golly I think you found another cockroach in the kitchen.

So what we got now, firstserve, Tnsman2 for sure. tenniscp (very likely related) anybody want to contribute? Hey what about a thread "can you name all of bb's screen names :).

Interesting thing, he called Donald Young He and Him. He turned Donald into a deity, certainly not his intention. Unfortunately for BB, he has a unique style of grammar, punctuation in middle of sentences rather than always at the beginnings, spaces before and/or after commas, etc. that is going to be hard to hide, especially when a new user pops up.
 
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tenniscrazed

Guest
Interesting thing, he called Donald Young He and Him. He turned Donald into a deity, certainly not his intention. Unfortunately for BB, he has a unique style of grammar, punctuation in middle of sentences rather than always at the beginnings, spaces before and/or after commas, etc. that is going to be hard to hide, especially when a new user pops up.

This is so funny. He also states things like "having the right people around him" which he uses a lot in his posts. You know our "team", "having the right people", "if he gets the right people around him" etc.

Just as an FYI read post #10 in this thread. That's Baughman too. No way on this earth that the poster in #10 went to Stanford. It's another Baughman screen name.
 
This is so funny. He also states things like "having the right people around him" which he uses a lot in his posts. You know our "team", "having the right people", "if he gets the right people around him" etc.

Just as an FYI read post #10 in this thread. That's Baughman too. No way on this earth that the poster in #10 went to Stanford. It's another Baughman screen name.

Yes, "keeping the circle small" and "having the right people around him" are other give aways.
 

norcal22

New User
wrong and wrong. Guzman is solid. He is going to be a freshman this year and he is still having pretty solid 16s results. I played him recently and I was impressed with his game. His game has a lot of room for improvement too. He will be real good. And come on Johnny Wang, really? Are you just saying that because he had a bad sectionals? I mean the guy is struggling a little bit lately but he's still a stud
yes they are both very good. im not denying that. but they are overhyped. Guzman is def a good player, but he lacks the competitive spirit that a lot of the top juniors have imo. i would know ive played him. He has a great game but he is mental at times and is beatable.

i dont know much about johnny wang but he def doesnt seem as good as he is made out to be on these forums. he has never (from what ive seen) placed or done exceptionally well in a "high profile" event. ive read about what his game is like on these forums and it doesnt seem that great tbh.
 
Joshlol. Joshlol is gaining extreme credit for things he has barely done. He is considered a calm person while Joshlol consistently loses matches due to his temper. Sure, he's won a couple Wimbledons and a French Open, but Joshlol is getting treated like the future GOAT.
 

TnsMan2

Banned
Gentlemen, I'm not sure of where this thread is coming or going. There's no way I am coming to a conclusion that Donald Young is some type of god, as one of the posters is claiming I said, merely stating what I see in the tennis world. His family, mom and dad, coach him and have had great success during his junior career and is one of the finest young men to play as a junior, but his transition to the pros have been mediocre at best.
Sincerely,
Gabe
 
Gentlemen, I'm not sure of where this thread is coming or going. There's no way I am coming to a conclusion that Donald Young is some type of god, as one of the posters is claiming I said, merely stating what I see in the tennis world. His family, mom and dad, coach him and have had great success during his junior career and is one of the finest young men to play as a junior, but his transition to the pros have been mediocre at best.
Sincerely,
Gabe

Gabe? Really BB, thats the name that came to mind...Gabe?

I would have gone with Thor or Big Ed....you know, something that sounds rough and tough. But okay, Gabe it is!!

Welcome to the board...um....Gabe.
 
Gabe? Really BB, thats the name that came to mind...Gabe?

I would have gone with Thor or Big Ed....you know, something that sounds rough and tough. But okay, Gabe it is!!

Welcome to the board...um....Gabe.

I love conflict so Im going to say it: Deiton Baughman is the most overrated junior lol :)
 

SoCal10s

Hall of Fame
i dont know much about johnny wang but he def doesnt seem as good as he is made out to be on these forums. he has never (from what ive seen) placed or done exceptionally well in a "high profile" event. ive read about what his game is like on these forums and it doesnt seem that great tbh.

J.W. is not a high profile player,he hits 2 hands both sides,he can slice and dice and bang it hard when he needs to he can push,pass and pound the ball and when he's on he's very good,a lot of fun to watch... he's not a full time dedicated players like all the top guys in the section are,he doesn't home school or go to any tennis academy .. he has some good wins and a ton of bad losses ,his better wins are when he played up so I don't know where you get the idea he's overrated.. his ranking is #5 in SOCAL 16s and #18 in the 18s ..he's not the #1 rank player,,he deserves the ranking he's got... how can someone be over rated when he's not even considered the best :confused: .I follow his play and I've never said he was the best,even though he's beaten Marcos G,JW is still in a lower league than MG.. I just comment on him because I enjoy watching him play,he has a very unique style that you don't see too often.. like your NorCal player Anthony T.. but JW has a power game..

I love conflict so Im going to say it: Deiton Baughman is the most overrated junior lol :)

the only ones who rates Deiton high is you and Brad,.. so I guess you two have to go at each other now...
 
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TnsMan2

Banned
Gabe? Really BB, thats the name that came to mind...Gabe?

I would have gone with Thor or Big Ed....you know, something that sounds rough and tough. But okay, Gabe it is!!

Welcome to the board...um....Gabe.

Sir you have issues you should consider a vacation , come to England we have a great tournament going on right now and no Brad is not in the draw.
 
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tenniscrazed

Guest
Gabe? Really BB, thats the name that came to mind...Gabe?

I would have gone with Thor or Big Ed....you know, something that sounds rough and tough. But okay, Gabe it is!!

Welcome to the board...um....Gabe.

He came up with Gabe because it has the same number of letters.
 
He came up with Gabe because it has the same number of letters.

"Your Truly Gabe", the capitalization and grammar remain his biggest give aways. Gabe lives in England....and he does not think Deiton is overrated. It appears the boy is now an international phenom.
 
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tenniscrazed

Guest
"Your Truly Gabe", the capitalization and grammar remain his biggest give aways. Gabe lives in England....and he does not think Deiton is overrated. It appears the boy is now an international phenom.

Well it's a good thing we have a brit among us now. Maybe "Gabe" can educate us as to the LTA's position on training and competition. It would be interesting to know how the LTA got such a big sponsor of amateur tennis as AEGON. So Gabe, since you are so well versed in the family of Donald Young you should be able to really give us some insight on the LTA and AEGON, right? Being you're from England and all.
 
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Well it's a good thing we have a brit among us now. Maybe "Gabe" can educate us as to the LTA's position on training and competition. It would be interesting to know how the LTA got such a big sponsor of amateur tennis as AEGON. So Gabe, since you are so well versed in the family of Donald Young you should be able to really give us some insight on the LTA and AEGON, right? Being you're from England and all.

He is most likely at Wimbledon right now, much too busy to post.
 
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tenniscrazed

Guest
tenniscrazed, you were so right about StanfordTennisAlum. The response to the kid asking for funding is classic!

I didn't even see that one. That's a riot. FYI; read the tag line for stanford tennis alum. note that this person claims to be a 2006 graduate, making this person roughly 24ish.

One simple question. Is it realistic that a 24 year old alumni tennis player is posting on a junior tennis board?

I know what I was doing at 24 and it wasn't posting on junior tennis boards.
 
I didn't even see that one. That's a riot. FYI; read the tag line for stanford tennis alum. note that this person claims to be a 2006 graduate, making this person roughly 24ish.

One simple question. Is it realistic that a 24 year old alumni tennis player is posting on a junior tennis board?

I know what I was doing at 24 and it wasn't posting on junior tennis boards.

Maybe we are dealing with a real Sybil and not just an bad actor.
 
I didn't even see that one. That's a riot. FYI; read the tag line for stanford tennis alum. note that this person claims to be a 2006 graduate, making this person roughly 24ish.

One simple question. Is it realistic that a 24 year old alumni tennis player is posting on a junior tennis board?

I know what I was doing at 24 and it wasn't posting on junior tennis boards.

so if you said you weren't posting on junior boards when you were 24. Then what are you doing posting on junior boards if you are beyond age 24 now?
 
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