August 25th 2008: Donald Young grew up....

saram

saram

Legend
No one likes him. Everyone here hates him. And yet, tonight--he grew up. The big stage, the big show, prime time television...we all thought three and out for DY. Yet, he grew up. Down two sets to one and down a break in the fourth--DY hung tough and got the break. And, then another forcing the match to five...

I met DY last year in Louisville and was able to talk with him at length about everything related to tennis--including what is under his PJ. I grew quite fond of the kid and his personality and the kid that he his. Being a father, I instantly hoped for greatness for this kid and for all the haters of DY on this board to finally silence to some degree.

His speed rivals Blake's. His ability to hit inside out from either wing rivals anyone on tour. His touch at the net was evident tonight as just purely amazing.

No, no one on here will give DY credit where credit is due even after tonight.

He grew up tonight. He embraced the lime-light, the NY crowd, the lights, the media market, the battle against a contending top player on tour and a court that was surely in favor of his opponent.

But in the fourth set--he won over Blake's fans and put them into his corner for good.

Regardless of winning or losing--tonight, Donald Young grew up big time....
 
samprasbackhand

samprasbackhand

Semi-Pro
I only caught the last two sets, but I definitely liked what I saw..he was hitting big off both wings, and yeah, his hands and feel at the net were great...needs to improve serve though
 
saram

saram

Legend
samprasbackhand said:
I only caught the last two sets, but I definitely liked what I saw..he was hitting big off both wings, and yeah, his hands and feel at the net were great...needs to improve serve though
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He's serving in the 130's...what more do you want from a 19 year old?????
 
saram

saram

Legend
samprasbackhand said:
Consistency? When I saw him, seemed like he was serving in the 105-115 1st serve range
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Well, in five sets, I think he had about four double faults which is pretty darn good considering how nervous he was. He dropped a second serve bomb at 127 early on. And, when he went for it--he was serving in the 130's. You are right--probably averaged around 115 or so towards the end--but he was darn consistent if you ask me in placement and setting up points.
 
counter_puncher

counter_puncher

Banned
saram said:
Why would I like to hate people? That seems stupid. And saying DY doesn't have the talent to ever reach the top 50 in the world tonight seems like hate in itself....
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nice to see you've calmed down.

well, im sorry to say that the truth hurts. im not a big fan of DY so i (can) say top 50 is pushing it for donald.
 
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nutzguy16

Guest
i am watching the 2nd set on usa right now and wow i am impressed with young and these points he's playing
i like isner more than young personally but i think that this is the time when young will turn around his career
he is playing like how he should be on the pro tour
soon he should be able to crack back to the top 100 and play better
 
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iamke55

Professional
He was in Gasquet mode for the 4th and 5th set. The more impossible the position, the more likely Young would hit a ridiculous winner, but the more routine the situation, the more likely Young would hit a bad error.
 
saram

saram

Legend
counter_puncher said:
nice to see you've calmed down.

well, im sorry to say that the truth hurts. im not a big fan of DY so i (can) say top 50 is pushing it for donald.
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Of COURSE you're not a fan of DY's. I mean why would you appreciate skills off both wings, talented hands and foot speed? Like I have said for over a year here--millions hate DY for what he is....

But anyone that does not appreciate the talent he possesses and has yet to harness does not understand tennis and talent.
 
saram

saram

Legend
iamke55 said:
He was in Gasquet mode for the 4th and 5th set. The more impossible the position, the more likely Young would hit a ridiculous winner, but the more routine the situation, the more likely Young would hit a bad error.
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Yeah, you nailed that one on the head. Too true.
 
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SoCal10s

Hall of Fame
donald young

well I can't say he grew up,Blake is also known to disappear every now and then,but DY did show that he IS capable of hitting a good ball,but the mental part is still missing,at times DY looked like he didn't care ,I also question both player's on their shot selection(but that's Blake's style)... it was good match to start off the USO .. too bad they had to meet in the first round... they both needed a easy 1st round to get them going...
 
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nutzguy16

Guest
i think that if young didn't play blake then he would have never played like this and wouldn't make his breakthrough until maybe late 2009… we need to thank the lord for this match xD blake brought out the power in young
 
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SoCal10s

Hall of Fame
saram said:
Of COURSE you're not a fan of DY's. I mean why would you appreciate skills off both wings, talented hands and foot speed? Like I have said for over a year here--millions hate DY for what he is....

But anyone that does not appreciate the talent he possesses and has yet to harness does not understand tennis and talent.
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talent is just a word if you don't work hard to know how to use it... I hope DY can get his act together and prove to everyone that he is the "next"...
 
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BigServer1

Legend
I loved what I saw tonight from Young. Blake is a seasoned vet who plays his best tennis us NY, and DY gave him everything he could handle in sets 2, 4 and 5. His strokes are getting more consistent and powerful, his serve is progressing similarly and his touch and feel from the entire court is amazing. I hope that we see a lot more in the future from DY, and I hope that he learns and grows as much as possible from this amazing match at the USO.
 
S

Say Chi Sin Lo

G.O.A.T.
i was surprised by his approach shots. He really knew when to come in, versus Roddick's "hmmm, i'm 5 feet away from the baseline, like me blast one down the middle and come in behind that..."
 
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SoCal10s

Hall of Fame
DY

when they finished Blake looked so tall compared to DY.. DY is listed at 6ft and Blake at 6'1"... no way,DY is 6ft ... anyone noticed that?
 
aleexxxxx

aleexxxxx

Rookie
he played well. i like young. i hope he gets better and wins some slams in the future. hes capable of being a top 25 player within the next 2 years
 
counter_puncher

counter_puncher

Banned
hold on...
Originally Posted by iamke55
He was in Gasquet mode for the 4th and 5th set. The more impossible the position, the more likely Young would hit a ridiculous winner, but the more routine the situation, the more likely Young would hit a bad error.
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Yeah, you nailed that one on the head. Too true.
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im not really detecting any sarcasm... but if your saying that the more routine the situation the more likely young would hit a bad error, then doesnt that contradict what you were originally saying? this is saying that DONALD YOUNG HAS NOT GROWN UP, if he is missing routine shots.
 
Inner Game

Inner Game

Semi-Pro
One match and he grows up? Remember he was playing Blake who is a random generator in tennis....awesome one day...can lose to a club player the next....But actually I'm surprised Blake didn't do his usual fold in the fifth set...But really....show us some wins against top 10 players then I will jump on the band wagon
 
EasternRocks

EasternRocks

Hall of Fame
I agree. Actually I'm a fan of DY. He's proven himself on Aug. 25th! On a big stage, he hung tough and played awesome.
 
Pleepers

Pleepers

Professional
Gotta say that DY is one of the "smoothest" movers I've seen up there. He's on par with Rios--I think :) What he will achieve in the future...that will be left up to DY.
 
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coloskier

Legend
I think you will find that the younger generation likes him because of his "tude", and the older generation can't stand him, mostly because of his attitude on the court and because his parents play the race card all the time like the Richard Williams does.
 
jmverdugo

jmverdugo

Hall of Fame
Last time i saw him he wasnt hitting as hard as "sometimes" yesterday night. He should stop hitting so a la Nadal with his forehand. Sometimes he play like a very good amateur and sometimes he play like a really good pro. Time and a new coach will do wonders for him. JMO.
 
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TB45

Rookie
they both played a great match last night. A few things i thought about DY.

1. His game has matured. As mentioned, his speed, forehand, almost everything rivaled Blake's last night. He still has things to improve on, but who doesnt? :)

2. He plays the game with a passion. I think he'd be more liked with the crowd if he stopped yelling at himself more often. He should play with more positive energy as well (just my thoughts!).

3. I think he should present himself better. His hat wasnt tilted as much as it was last year at the USO, but I could still see it. Also, he kind of walked with a gangster lean (sorry about the stereotyping) after points. He should walk more properly like james blake or RF.

4. This kid has potential!
 
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cmb

Semi-Pro
I saw the first and second sets...I dont know about the rest of the match, but the first set DY got destroyed...the second set which he won, DY did absolutely nothing, Blake just basically gave him the set with poor shot selection and horrible errors.
DY is lucky he got to play against Blake who donates free points, because if he had to play against a normal player who knows how to play the game of tennis, he would have got routined like normal.
 
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obnoxious2

Semi-Pro
DY has alot of haters probably because there is always negative words coming out from his previous coaches and he has ALOT of previous coaches as his parents never seem satisfied.
 
vbranis

vbranis

Professional
DY's talented, there's no doubt about that, but Blake really let him of the hook in that 4th set. When Blake played well, he won the sets 6-1. Many times, he would just go for broke which played right into DY's hands, allowing him to get back into the match.

I think Young likes to play against aggressive players because he doesn't have much power himself and feeds off pace very well. He thrives on redirecting hard flat shots into corners with his great hands and coming in to the net. HOWEVER, whenever Blake went into "safe mode" and just put the ball in play nice and deep with some topspin, DY would get confused and miss. It's like he doesn't know what to do when he has too much time to think. I remember seeing him play Simon (a counterpuncher)at the Toronto Masters this year, and he got beat easily 6-1, 6-3. Same thing happened against Monfils in Cincinnati, he lost 6-1, 6-1. Monfils was just looping the ball and keeping it in play. Young has to learn to generate more pace on his shots by improving his racquet-head speed.

Unless that improves, I don't see him becoming a top 10 player.
 
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Rob_C

Hall of Fame
SoCal10s said:
when they finished Blake looked so tall compared to DY.. DY is listed at 6ft and Blake at 6'1"... no way,DY is 6ft ... anyone noticed that?
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No way he's 6', 160. I'd give him about 5'9", 145-150 ish.

After the Fed - Tips match at the Aussie Open I noticed that too. Tips was listed at about 5'11", he looked about 5'7" to me. He played big tho.
 
R

Rob_C

Hall of Fame
coloskier said:
I think you will find that the younger generation likes him because of his "tude", and the older generation can't stand him, mostly because of his attitude on the court and because his parents play the race card all the time like the Richard Williams does.
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When have his parents played the race card???
 
J

JW10S

Hall of Fame
I'm not sure from that one match it can be said that DY 'grew up'. Anyone is going to try to bring their best to the table in a center court night match at the US Open. The test of how much he has grown will in the next few weeks. The way the ranking and tournament entry system works he has only a few more weeks of direct acceptance into main tour events as his ranking will drop after this USO. How he performs and acts in those events and the subsequent Challenger events he will likely have to drop back down to playing will be the real test of how much he has 'grown up'. We'll see...
 
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OmniscientTennis

New User
The Blake - DY match was terrible quality tennis...close to 100 errors in the match between the 2 players. DY didn't grow it up in this match...he lost another sloppy played match. On another note, both Blake and DY are not "smart players", ie they don't set up points and have extremely poor shot selection. Blake always tries to overpower opponents and just hits the ball hard, no real placement or angles -thid I'd why he cannot get beyond 4th R or QFs of tournies. DY has no idea how to play tennis, ie. I don't think he even knows where he's going to hit the ball. I don't believe he even thinks on the court at all.
 
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coloskier

Legend
It looked to me that Blake was using it as a practice match. Whenever he wanted to turn it up, he did with ease. I think he was trying some things out to be used later in the tourney.
 
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baydad

New User
DY played a good game. But I don't think it proves he could be very good.
He is fast. But he doesn't have the power.
 
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njohnson

New User
He played a great match that was extremely entertaining however I am not ready to bow down and proclaim him god just yet.

One of the announcers mentioned that he normally looks at his parents after every shot, I've never seen the DY on tv before, is that true?
 
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dora_75

New User
OmniscientTennis said:
The Blake - DY match was terrible quality tennis...close to 100 errors in the match between the 2 players. DY didn't grow it up in this match...he lost another sloppy played match. On another note, both Blake and DY are not "smart players", ie they don't set up points and have extremely poor shot selection. Blake always tries to overpower opponents and just hits the ball hard, no real placement or angles -thid I'd why he cannot get beyond 4th R or QFs of tournies. DY has no idea how to play tennis, ie. I don't think he even knows where he's going to hit the ball. I don't believe he even thinks on the court at all.
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my thoughts exactly. i don't quite get what the op is talking about. it was a bad match period and dy should have won it 'cause jb was doing everything possible to lose. the number on ue was very high. the 3'rd set was abysmal 'cause dy was nowhere to be found and 4th and 5th bj was trying to lose so he can have dinner. bj is lucky dy is not mentally strong otherwise he would have been sent packing.
 
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UncleRico.

New User
He does look at his box a LOT. It actually kind of bothered me, after a bad miss or a big shot, always a look to the box, for validation or something. Who knows.

Also, he holds his hand a little high up off the butt of the racket on his forehand. Probably gives him control, but takes away some power. His forehand is wayyy too loopy, especially with that flimsy grip. His backhand has some very nice pop when he steps into it though. And his touch at the net is very good, great hands. I don't know if he's got enough to produce his own pace, but he can definitely hang with big hitters. A close up of his racket last night, and I didn't see a single strip of lead tape on it, maybe that's where he's lacking.

Regardless, he's talented, but he's got some ways to go.
 
Deuce

Deuce

Banned
I hope that in 6 months, we can look back on the Blake match as being the point where Young began to mature.
Of course, there is a lot of road ahead - one match won't turn everything around.
But it can be a beginning; a catalyst.
I hope it is, as he's fun to watch when he's playing well - more fun to watch than most.
But he still needs to mature a great deal on the court. If he does, we'll likely be regarding him as being one of the most creative players on tour.
 
stormholloway

stormholloway

Legend
baydad said:
DY played a good game. But I don't think it proves he could be very good.
He is fast. But he doesn't have the power.
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He was hitting serves in the high 120s.

I think his forehand preparation is too loopy. But overall, I was MOST impressed. He has a terrific all court game and good touch. Let's not forget how good Blake is on hard courts and how comfortable he is in that stadium.

I wish he would drive through his forehand more, ala Blake rather than whip up across it like he does. It's just a shame he had to draw Blake because he really played well enough to be in the 2nd round.
 
stormholloway

stormholloway

Legend
coloskier said:
It looked to me that Blake was using it as a practice match. Whenever he wanted to turn it up, he did with ease. I think he was trying some things out to be used later in the tourney.
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Good point.

Yeah, James Blake wanted to play a five set match in the first round, particularly considering he's only won a single five setter in his career. I guess he figured it would be good practice.
 
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