Donald Young Is a major waste of talent

[WARPWOODIE]

I saw the interview with the new coach with the Mom next to him....seems he couldn't say what he really wanted to say with the Mom being next to him.

Missed the new coach's name. Who is he? What is the scoop on the guy, who has he worked with before? I certainly hope the new coach can get him on the right track. Also agree that DY should earn his spot on the main draw though qualifiers.

 

[pmerk34]

This is what insane talent and no hard works gets you. Pampered by Ma and Pa Young for way too long, this guy was never pushed hard enough. Watching him play, he's the guy that was the big man on campus in the juniors but once he entered the big league, everyone was just as good or better and he couldn't make the grade. Couldnt gut it out. The shots that used to beat everyone else are coming back harder. Donald, your talent isn't enough to get you by anymore.

2005 ITF Junior World Rankings
Notables
1. Donald Young
2. Marin Cilic
12. Andy Murray
14. Sam Querry
49. Juan Martin del Potro
53. Alexandr Dolgopolov
87. Kei Nishikori

So terribly sad.

Cilic is 6'6", Murray 6'3", Querrey 6'4", Del Potro 6'6"

Dolgo and Nish are around the same height.

People thought Young would grow to be 6'3" and wiry strong with execellent movement. Instead he's not even 6 feet with very very narrow shoulders. He does not have the physical talents of Jurgen Melzer or Tomaz Belluci (two lefties) let alone Murray and Delp Potro and Querrey. Have you seen how hard Querrey can hit for example.

Donald does not have top end game, period. Even with better coaching, fitness and attitude and practice habits he isn't going to win grand slams. Just leave the guy alone already. Is he the first accomplished junior to not be a good pro? I'd love to be on the pro tour period. Let him live his life and play tennis and win or lose as best he can based on the talent he has which is average by pro standards

 

[ben123]

i dont think this list from the op tells anything. we dunno from when it was taken.
it could very well be that the guys like delpo just didnt play much at the junior tour anymore.... if young played 100% junior events and the other players didnt play many junior tournaments then this list says nothing.
and this is common practise with juniors. i just watched the junior list and for example a girl now who nearly qualified for uso and is r100 in the wta women tour is not even top 100 in juniors tour. because she didnt play many junior events... many juniors dont even have the time to play much junior tour bc of school etc... this list is not rly clearly at all. nadal just didnt play junior tour if he tried it he would surely show up on that list..

on a side note: i think donald young is very talented more so than isner and querry. isner might have more strength physically and mentally but srsly i think the tennis from young looks better

 

[pmerk34]

young has always been overrated.

he has got great hands, but he doesnt have enough firepower and his consistency is below par.

That means he will lose a lot.

Physically he is also at a disadvantage compared to his peers.

This is what posters here can't seem to understand. The guy never grew. While he is quick he is not in the same category as Nadal, Federer, Murray, Ferrer, Djokovic and others out on tour.

He a slightly built lefty who moves well but not tremendously well. HE has good hands but his serve and forehand are not weapons. In order for him to reach his potential which to me is about 50 in the world MAYBE up to 25-30 he would need to become an ultra consistent grinder who can mix it up. Very very difficult to pull off. Querrey who is a well know contemporary of Young's can win matches but simply serving and then hammering the FH. IT's a lot easier to win that way if you can.

 

[BeHappy]

He's just another top junior that didn't make it, like Kristian Pless.

I think people are being a bit hard on him though. He was arrogant as a 16 year old, who wouldn't have been in his position with John McEnroe saying you were the next big thing?

 

[pmerk34]

He's just another top junior that didn't make it, like Kristian Pless.

I think people are being a bit hard on him though. He was arrogant as a 16 year old, who wouldn't have been in his position with John McEnroe saying you were the next big thing?

Correct, and McEnroe was the most arrogant player who ever lived!

 

[guitarplayer]

Watching Pam interview Donald’s “coach” in the stands with his mom sitting next to him was all you needed to see in why Donald has gone nowhere.

He said his mom put together the game plan for his match against Fed. I’m sorry, but Donald, you’re a 23 year old MAN. Mom’s do not run the show in any aspect of a man’s life, if that man expects to be succeed.

It also explains the on court body language and attitude. It felt like I was watching a junior. A privileged one, who hasn’t matured because his mother still calls the shots.

The shot selection was horrible, and it just looked like he had no desire to put in work or construct a point. Quite frankly, he looked exactly the same as when he first played in the US Open.

This is 100%spot on!

 

[sureshs]

What about that Berankis guy? Isn't he doing worse than Donald?

 

[pmerk34]

This is 100%spot on!

HE couldn't keep a BH in the court

 

[cluckcluck]

What about that Berankis guy? Isn't he doing worse than Donald?

Not really, considering he reached the Farmer's Classic final this year and he's 6 and 3 this year. Where DY is 3 and 21 for the year.

 

[atatu]

Do you often spell your own name wrong Attila?

Baylor education....

 

[RMSserve]

Where is He talented?
FH? no.
BH? no, no.
Volleys?no,no,no
mental game?? no X 4.
serve? 10X no.

Game overall? 100 x no.

Donald Young is not talented, He is not better than a top 140-150. He has no game whatsoever, just look at him you'll see, if you know tennis.

Again, stupidity has no limits.

100% agree!!!!!!!!

 

[BreakPoint]

Amazingly, Donald Young and some guy named Nicholas Monroe, whom I've never heard of and currently ranked #665, just beat Llodra and Zimonjic, a top team, in doubles in the 1st round of USO! :shock:

 

[DoctorBackhand]

How exactly can one be a "waste" of talent?

 

[dirkgnuf]

Cilic is 6'6", Murray 6'3", Querrey 6'4", Del Potro 6'6"

Dolgo and Nish are around the same height.

People thought Young would grow to be 6'3" and wiry strong with execellent movement. Instead he's not even 6 feet with very very narrow shoulders. He does not have the physical talents of Jurgen Melzer or Tomaz Belluci (two lefties) let alone Murray and Delp Potro and Querrey. Have you seen how hard Querrey can hit for example.

Donald does not have top end game, period. Even with better coaching, fitness and attitude and practice habits he isn't going to win grand slams. Just leave the guy alone already. Is he the first accomplished junior to not be a good pro? I'd love to be on the pro tour period. Let him live his life and play tennis and win or lose as best he can based on the talent he has which is average by pro standards

Do your research folks! Jeez.

Donald Young is 183 cm or 6'. That's taller than Ferrer, and that's about average on the tour. Maybe he's a little light, but as Ferrer or Davydenko proved, you can be a top 10 contender without being as big as some of the other pros. Federer and Nadal come in at around 185-186 cm, but that's not a huge difference (an inch or two).

He's also most notable for being the youngest-ever Junior World No.1
That is primarily why the the HYPE has always been so high with him.

It's clear that the transition from junior to pro hasn't been smooth, but believe me, Young has talent. He just needs to find a way to put it all together.

 

[citybert]

Do your research folks! Jeez.

Donald Young is 183 cm or 6'. That's taller than Ferrer, and that's about average on the tour. Maybe he's a little light, but as Ferrer or Davydenko proved, you can be a top 10 contender without being as big as some of the other pros. Federer and Nadal come in at around 185-186 cm, but that's not a huge difference (an inch or two).

He's also most notable for being the youngest-ever Junior World No.1
That is primarily why the the HYPE has always been so high with him.

It's clear that the transition from junior to pro hasn't been smooth, but believe me, Young has talent. He just needs to find a way to put it all together.

I rarely beleive listed heights. Not to say he is not 6 but i wod be skeptical. Doesnt matter he moves like a giy who is 6 3 ferrer covers the court way better

 

[Gonzalito17]

DY seems growth stunted, he seems like he's still 16. He has to get away from mom and pa, they are holding him back.

 

[citybert]

DY seems growth stunted, he seems like he's still 16. He has to get away from mom and pa, they are holding him back.

He is definitely more concerned with how he looks on the court than winning. Just watch bag check on him. He wants to bring the basketball sleeves into the game just because it looks cool. Sounds very immature.

 

[Wuppy]

Donald Young is 183 cm or 6'.

Most people who've met him agree he's closer to 5'10. McEnroe even said that the 6-foot stat was "dubious."

 

[BreakPoint]

Most people who've met him agree he's closer to 5'10. McEnroe even said that the 6-foot stat was "dubious."

That sounds more likely. I highly doubt Young is actually 6 feet tall.

Here's a pic of him with Wawrinka, who's listed at 6 feet. Young appears to be a couple of inches shorter:

 

[smoledman]

Nishikori is not any taller then DY but is top 20 and no joke.

 

[vandre]

i heard one of the commentators say he has a new coach. i hope that it's true but i'm afraid it may be too late.

 

[mental midget]

gonna be a rough road for DY. doesn't have the power for easy points. has good feel, but not enough to get away with a marcelo rios impression. door number 3: the david ferrer school of hard knocks?

or maybe there's a fourth option. somebody mentioned melzer, he's about the same size, lefty, has had some great singles results.

one thing about DY, his stroke production looked a little lackadaisical against federer-kind of a loopy, touchy-feely forehand, and some lazy footwork off the backhand wing. he looked like a talented player taking it easy against a less sophisticated hitting partner, except he was playing roger federer. needs to just tighten up the whole package imo, be a little more disciplined out there.

 

[NikeWilson]

Donald still has untapped potential. He is very talented.
He definitely needs better guidance. SOmeone who can truly coach him.
He needs to learn how to use strategy. He needs to practice harder. He needs to become more mature with his attitude and his game. He's too consumed with "flash" instead of substance.
I'd love to see him take his game more serious. I say lose the hat, or atleast stop tilting it sideways.
It's time to get boring!
His leftyness could be a huge advantage if he knew how to use it better.

 

[Mick3391]

This is what insane talent and no hard works gets you. Pampered by Ma and Pa Young for way too long, this guy was never pushed hard enough. Watching him play, he's the guy that was the big man on campus in the juniors but once he entered the big league, everyone was just as good or better and he couldn't make the grade. Couldnt gut it out. The shots that used to beat everyone else are coming back harder. Donald, your talent isn't enough to get you by anymore.

2005 ITF Junior World Rankings
Notables
1. Donald Young
2. Marin Cilic
12. Andy Murray
14. Sam Querry
49. Juan Martin del Potro
53. Alexandr Dolgopolov
87. Kei Nishikori

So terribly sad.

Funny I was just reading about this guy, I guess he was THE MAN early, and threw it away with drugs and drinking.

They were saying it's a larger problem with many American Tennis Players, they are teenager, everyone says they are the best, and they stop working, stop training, party it up.

Sad, but it's his choice. Mcenroe was commenting last night that the guy doesn't train, and that you have to in order to beat todays guys. I mean you can see he has talent, but needs a solid year with top coaches, pure discipline to compete, he made many good shots with Fed, but so many horrible ones also.

 

[fightfan]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and for me, I really don't see Young as a "disappointment." That is to say, I really don't think too much can be extrapolated just because he was the #1 junior in the world at one point. Somdev Devvarman beat John Isner in college, and I don't think there's any chance in hell he'll come close to the pro career than Isner already had.

I really think the ATP game is just a different beast than college and the junior ranks. Look how much money, science, and technology goes into the NFL draft, and they make mistakes all the time. Perhaps Young had the potential to get into the top 10, but there's a good chance he never had what it takes to get that far no matter who his coach was. I really don't see anything special in his game at all, either currently or "potential"-wise.

That being said, he's still making a living playing professional tennis, and he's still a top 100 (or close to it) player. That's nothing to sneeze at in perhaps one of the toughest sports in the world to make a career out of.

 

[cluckcluck]

Donald still has untapped potential. He is very talented.

Change IS to WAS (as in his jr years).

 

[paulorenzo]

Funny I was just reading about this guy, I guess he was THE MAN early, and threw it away with drugs and drinking.

They were saying it's a larger problem with many American Tennis Players, they are teenager, everyone says they are the best, and they stop working, stop training, party it up.

Sad, but it's his choice. Mcenroe was commenting last night that the guy doesn't train, and that you have to in order to beat todays guys. I mean you can see he has talent, but needs a solid year with top coaches, pure discipline to compete, he made many good shots with Fed, but so many horrible ones also.

agree. he missed nearly half, and that's being conservative, of his easy put away shots against fed while still being able to hit surprising winners.

 

[okdude1992]

Where is He talented?
FH? no.
BH? no, no.
Volleys?no,no,no
mental game?? no X 4.
serve? 10X no.

Game overall? 100 x no.

Donald Young is not talented, He is not better than a top 140-150. He has no game whatsoever, just look at him you'll see, if you know tennis.

Again, stupidity has no limits.

keep bashing the guy. he was almost top 30 last year and had wins over solid top 20 players wawrinka and monfils. the talent is there.

your stupidity has no limits. and DY has no brain or work ethic

 

[okdude1992]

That sounds more likely. I highly doubt Young is actually 6 feet tall.

Here's a pic of him with Wawrinka, who's listed at 6 feet. Young appears to be a couple of inches shorter:

i've stood next to him. hes barely taller than me (i'm 5'9)

 

[citybert]

i've stood next to him. hes barely taller than me (i'm 5'9)

True but depending on the angle pics are taken DY could look as tall as isner.

 

[SLD76]

@doctorbackhand lol agreed.

lol your right hes not wasting his talent, he's just part of the 5% of black people with bad athletic genetics.

bieng 5'7 running a 11 second 100m
bieng 5'7 serving 130

height dosent matter man when it comes to power or skill, against players sure it has disadvantages but if he was 6'3 he would still have the same genetics and skill

wow...I dont know what amazes me more.

the fact that you wrote this or the fact that no one even called you for your BS

 

[tennis_balla]

He's been called out on his BS of pretending to be a former pro player who knows the "ins and outs" of professional tennis. We should feel honoured he graced us with his presence.

 

[pmerk34]

Do your research folks! Jeez.

Donald Young is 183 cm or 6'. That's taller than Ferrer, and that's about average on the tour. Maybe he's a little light, but as Ferrer or Davydenko proved, you can be a top 10 contender without being as big as some of the other pros. Federer and Nadal come in at around 185-186 cm, but that's not a huge difference (an inch or two).

He's also most notable for being the youngest-ever Junior World No.1
That is primarily why the the HYPE has always been so high with him.

It's clear that the transition from junior to pro hasn't been smooth, but believe me, Young has talent. He just needs to find a way to put it all together.

He's shorter than his listed height and to just assume that with practice and "hard work" he can be a machine like David Ferrer or Davydenko was is asking an awful lot.

 

[sureshs]

The Donald is a winner - in doubles.

 

[pmerk34]

The Donald is a winner - in doubles.

You can make a decent living winning in doubles. Better than sitting in a noffice I would gander...

 

[Raging Buddha]

wow...I dont know what amazes me more.

the fact that you wrote this or the fact that no one even called you for your BS

Interesting that a former tour player would make such an unsubstantiated and generalised remark, is it not?

 

[tennisoh]

wow...I dont know what amazes me more.

the fact that you wrote this or the fact that no one even called you for your BS

When a person is dumb, it's hard to get to every single terrible comment he's made.

 

[SLD76]

Interesting that a former tour player would make such an unsubstantiated and generalised remark, is it not?

I never get tired of reading your sig, LMAO.

 

[Harry_Wild]

This is what insane talent and no hard works gets you. Pampered by Ma and Pa Young for way too long, this guy was never pushed hard enough. Watching him play, he's the guy that was the big man on campus in the juniors but once he entered the big league, everyone was just as good or better and he couldn't make the grade. Couldnt gut it out. The shots that used to beat everyone else are coming back harder. Donald, your talent isn't enough to get you by anymore.

2005 ITF Junior World Rankings
Notables
1. Donald Young
2. Marin Cilic
12. Andy Murray
14. Sam Querry
49. Juan Martin del Potro
53. Alexandr Dolgopolov
87. Kei Nishikori

So terribly sad.

The Donald is ranked 81st in the world! That not that bad since he was in the middle 200 just a few years ago! He has steady going the right direction. He was as high as the low 30s just a year ago I think!

 

[Harry_Wild]

Just found out that on September 10th; the great Donald Young will be back under 100 again - to be precise 120th in the world. That means that all the grand slam events; he has to go back to the qualifying round to get into the main draw! Poor Donald!

 

[cork_screw]

D. Young blames other things, never looks at himself. I can't believe he blamed the scoreboard and said it flickered and that was the reason he missed a shot against fed. It wasn't the scoreboard, it was YOU that missed it. He also has really bad attitude on court (seen him live a few times). And he makes really careless mistakes and will miss an easy rally ball for no reason. He doesn't fix what is wrong nor cares to address them. He repeats his same mistakes over and over again thinking the racquet and changing it to a new brand is the key to winning more matches.

Donald young needs to slow down, hire a winning coach, I would say from an eastern european country and work hard like murray did when he ditched brad gilbert. I think murray started his evolutionary change there and never gave up trying new things. Donald young has yet to try one new thing or make any singular change that he's plagued with being the Jamarcus Russell of tennis.

I don't hate d. young like a lot of people here. But I do hate it when people repeat the same mistakes and never learn. When I watch him play I can see some blatant things he's doing wrong and I am shocked that he is paying someone who is not noticing the same things. Those should be ironed out before the season, he needs to hire a new set of eyes who can see everything he's doing wrong. Not just hire some guy to lick his ahole.

 

[firefox]

After DY's shock loss to Fed, he is going to straighten his hat, and soon will be joining the elite BIG FIVE, yes, BIG 5, that's Nole, Rafa, Fed, Murray, and DY.

 

[FrisbeeFool]

I don't think he's wasting his talent. He's just going up against the best athletes and ball strikers in the world.

We all know those guys in high school who mature early, and are good high school athletes, but get passed by while all the other guys keep growing.

He was 5 10 when he was winning matches at 15. Problem he is still 5 ft 10. I saw on tv the other day, he's now listed at 6 ft, but I doubt he's even that tall. At that size you better have incredible strokes to compete. He doesn't have the strokes of a guy like Davydenko, who makes up for his size with incredible ball striking, timing, movement, etc. He never will.

It's not his fault he just doesn't quite have the talent to make it at the highest level.

Plus, he has a bad attitude. He's not willing to construct points and grind out tough rallies, like a David Ferrer or Michael Chang.

 

[rommil]

D. Young blames other things, never looks at himself. I can't believe he blamed the scoreboard and said it flickered and that was the reason he missed a shot against fed. It wasn't the scoreboard, it was YOU that missed it. He also has really bad attitude on court (seen him live a few times). And he makes really careless mistakes and will miss an easy rally ball for no reason. He doesn't fix what is wrong nor cares to address them. He repeats his same mistakes over and over again thinking the racquet and changing it to a new brand is the key to winning more matches.

Donald young needs to slow down, hire a winning coach, I would say from an eastern european country and work hard like murray did when he ditched brad gilbert. I think murray started his evolutionary change there and never gave up trying new things. Donald young has yet to try one new thing or make any singular change that he's plagued with being the Jamarcus Russell of tennis.

I don't hate d. young like a lot of people here. But I do hate it when people repeat the same mistakes and never learn. When I watch him play I can see some blatant things he's doing wrong and I am shocked that he is paying someone who is not noticing the same things. Those should be ironed out before the season, he needs to hire a new set of eyes who can see everything he's doing wrong. Not just hire some guy to lick his ahole.

Monsieur Lendl perhaps?

That would be funny **** there, enough to make it reality TV with Ivan, DY and his family

 

[pmerk34]

I don't think he's wasting his talent. He's just going up against the best athletes and ball strikers in the world.

We all know those guys in high school who mature early, and are good high school athletes, but get passed by while all the other guys keep growing.

He was 5 10 when he was winning matches at 15. Problem he is still 5 ft 10. I saw on tv the other day, he's now listed at 6 ft, but I doubt he's even that tall. At that size you better have incredible strokes to compete. He doesn't have the strokes of a guy like Davydenko, who makes up for his size with incredible ball striking, timing, movement, etc. He never will.

It's not his fault he just doesn't quite have the talent to make it at the highest level.

Plus, he has a bad attitude. He's not willing to construct points and grind out tough rallies, like a David Ferrer or Michael Chang.

Yeah but how many people are capable of that? And he is nowhere near as fast as Chang was

 

[ATXtennisaddict]

What "talent"?

 

[tata]

And i just noticed he's back to using the exo tour. I thought he had a flirt with dunlop?

 

[pmerk34]

What "talent"?

Kohlschreiber (sp?) is about Young's size but can just generate more pace

 

[sureshs]

The Donald has made enough money this USO playing singles, doubles and mixed doubles thank you. He is a winner.