P-Mac responds to Donald Young!!!!

B

Bones08

Professional
http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060415/SPORTS07/604150338/1002/sports

McEnroe clarifies Young comments
Commentator thinks junior's path should be in minor events

Leighton Ginn
The Desert Sun
April 15, 2006

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PALM SPRINGS - ESPN commentator Patrick McEnroe wants to clarify remarks he made concerning 16-year-old Donald Young, who said McEnroe was critical of the path Young has taken in his career.
The remarks were not intended to be a personal attack on Young, said McEnroe, although they were taken that way by Young's family.

"He has a lot of potential and he seems like a nice kid, but I'm concerned," McEnroe said in a telephone interview Friday from his home in New York. "The last thing I want to do is rough up the kid."

During the telecasts of the early rounds of the Pacific Life Open in March, McEnroe was critical of the wild cards Young has received at Masters Series events such as the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells and the NASDAQ-100 Open in Key Biscayne, Fla.

Masters Series events are the top tournaments on the ATP Tour and rank right below the four majors, or Grand Slam events.

In nine matches on the ATP Tour, Young has not won a set, let alone a match.

After hearing McEnroe's remarks, Young said Wednesday at the Easter Bowl in Palm Springs that he was hurt, and the remarks affected his preparation for the NASDAQ-100 Open during the last week of March.

Young suffered his worst loss in that tournament, a 6-0, 6-0 decision to Argentina's Carlos Berlocq. Berlocq then lost to James Blake 6-0, 6-0 in the second round.

McEnroe said he worries those losses could shatter Young's confidence, and there's not much to be gained by accepting the wild cards.


"I don't think putting him in major tournaments is the right move right now," McEnroe said. "It's one thing to play here and there, but he's not competitive at that level. In my opinion, it's a mistake."
McEnroe and the Youngs have said they have not spoken with each other since the comments on ESPN2, or after Young's comments were published Thursday in The Desert Sun.

Young ended last year as the No. 1 junior in the world as a 16-year-old.

Because of Young's success, he has been touted as the future of American tennis and received several wild cards into ATP tournaments.

This week, Young turned down an offer at the U.S. Clay Court Championships in Houston to play at the Easter Bowl, an International Tennis Federation junior tournament held in Palm Springs.

Young defeated 10th-seeded Dylan Arnould 6-4, 6-2 in Friday's quarterfinal match at the Easter Bowl.

McEnroe said his remarks were not as harsh as those recounted by Young in The Desert Sun.

McEnroe said becoming a professional is a process. McEnroe believes Young should be winning Challengers and Futures before he ventures onto the ATP Tour, let alone into a Masters Series event.

This year, Young has reached two quarterfinals and one semifinal in Futures tournaments.

Last year, Young also played in the U.S. Open.

McEnroe said he didn't have a problem with that because Young won the junior title at Kalamazoo to earn his spot.

"I'd like nothing more than to see him do well and play small tournaments," McEnroe said. "If he qualifies for a Masters Series, that's great, but I think he's missing one of the steps along the way."

While Young's mother Illona questioned McEnroe's comments because he is the U.S. Davis Cup captain, McEnroe said his roles with the USTA and ESPN are separate issues.

On the air, McEnroe said he needs to express his opinion even if he ruffles feathers, which he said has happened when on occasion he criticizes current Davis Cup players, including Andy Roddick and James Blake.

"It's my responsibility to my viewers to make comments irrespective of my position with the Davis Cup (team)," McEnroe said. "ESPN pays me for my opinions."

When Young was told of McEnroe's latest comments, he said not much has changed.

"Obviously, it's his opinion, but I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing. It's worked so far," Young said.

Illona Young said her son has proven his mettle with his No. 1 junior ranking and earned his wild cards.

And while the path McEnroe advocates might apply to most, Illona Young said her son is not a typical player.

"If he feels that strongly, we can set up a time for a face-to-face," Illona Young said. "There won't be any bashing, just exchanging information."
 
the only way donald is gonna stop his critics is by performing well in those widlcard events and proving his opponents wrong. whether he is up to the task at hand or not is yet to be discovered.
 
I really have to say that P-Mac is right in this case. Young is gaining valuable experience, but he's trying to make a leap between two different echelons of play; he would garner such experience in futures anyways. And frankly, he's just not good enough at the moment to play with the big boys yet.
 
Aeropro joe said:
the only way donald is gonna stop his critics is by performing well in those widlcard events and proving his opponents wrong. whether he is up to the task at hand or not is yet to be discovered.
Click to expand...

Couldn't have said it any better myself... cheers
 
The #1 junior is Marin Cilic (Young is #4).

Cilic just won 1st Q round at Monte Carlo (just one year older than DY).

That's the way to go, no WCs.
 
I'm wondering if PMacs boy, Andy Roddick, played a lot of challengers and Futures? Seems to me he just started getting wild cards, and got beat pretty badly for a while. Also, I don't believe either Williams sister even played juniors, much less the semi-pro circuit. So maybe this necessary step Pmac eludes to may not apply to all.
 
Cfidave said:
I'm wondering if PMacs boy, Andy Roddick, played a lot of challengers and Futures? Seems to me he just started getting wild cards, and got beat pretty badly for a while. Also, I don't believe either Williams sister even played juniors, much less the semi-pro circuit. So maybe this necessary step Pmac eludes to may not apply to all.
Click to expand...


Different situation with Roddick altogether. Roddick was 18 when he started out on tour and he was a lot bigger than Donald and had weapons (forhand serve)
I find it hard to believe that DY is finished growing and that he won't have a weapon or 2 in the next 2 years. If/when he does he could be the US version of Marcelo Rios.
I herd someone over on the other thread compare the 2 and while Rios competed and proved himself on the tour, these 2 are have very similar games and talent levels etc.
DY, make it or not, is certainly one of the more naturally gifted players to come out of the US juniors in a long time.
 
wow the fight contintues..this is great.

youngs parents need to STFU asap because they think too highly of their son and let him express what he wants rather then it being blown up by his mother.
 
Volly master said:
wow the fight contintues..this is great.

youngs parents need to STFU asap because they think too highly of their son and let him express what he wants rather then it being blown up by his mother.
Click to expand...

Kind Of, but none the less, they've done a geat job instilling into this young man that he will be something someday, and telling him that he's just as good as any other kid out there, even though he's African American. We may not like everything that they say, but like Richard-they've done a great job!
 
Marius_Hancu said:
The #1 junior is Marin Cilic (Young is #4).

Cilic just won 1st Q round at Monte Carlo (just one year older than DY).

That's the way to go, no WCs.
Click to expand...

He's only #1 because Donald has not been playing a lot of Juniors this year, let's speak the facts buddy! And Cilic got smacked around in Davis Cup!

By the Way, Donald beat him 6-3,7-5 last year so clearly we see who's the better player as of now, but Cilic could change that but as of now it's Donald!
 
If Young played any significant number of matches in the juniors he would be #1 again. He'll finish this year ranked #1 again (easily)
 
Bones08 said:
He's only #1 because Donald has not been playing a lot of Juniors this year, let's speak the facts buddy! And Cilic got smacked around in Davis Cup!

By the Way, Donald beat him 6-3,7-5 last year so clearly we see who's the better player as of now, but Cilic could change that but as of now it's Donald!
Click to expand...

But that was last year. Aren't you contradicting yourself? As of now, it is Cilic. Last year it was Young.

Donald hasn't been playing a lot of Juniors, you're right, but that is part of the problem. And while Cilic might have gotten smacked around in Davis Cup, at least he gained that playing experience. I don't remember seeing Young on the US team!
 
Volly master said:
youngs parents need to STFU asap because they think too highly of their son...
Click to expand...
My thoughts exactly.
Young's father: "Donald has the talent & desire to reach and surpass the status of his hero, Pete Sampras."
Juniortennis.com

let action speak louder than words, know what I'm sayin'...
 
so you don't think mario CILIC will??? heck if mario can take a few games off of nalbandian and young gets beat 6-0 6-0 by Carlos Berlocq, what makes you think that young can finish #1 easily?! oh please
 
Marius_Hancu said:
The #1 junior is Marin Cilic (Young is #4).

Cilic just won 1st Q round at Monte Carlo (just one year older than DY).

That's the way to go, no WCs.
Click to expand...

Wrong! Cilic's had a bunch of WC's. Notice the predominant country in which he got them? It's Croatia. Many of those are also the ATP level.
http://www.itftennis.com/mens/players/activity.asp?player=100018489

There's a difference between the current number #1 and the year end #1. Believe it or not the year end title is just a little more prestigious.

Cilic's entry into Monte Carlo Qualifying draw was due to a WC. All DY's WC's have been to ATP and Master Series events held in the U.S. DY is from the US. Cilic has had a number of WC's into pro events many of which are in Croatia suprise suprise, he's Croatian! If Croatia had a Master Series event I am sure Cilic would be in it. But since we are not part of his management team and Croatia does not have a MS event we'll never know. At the moment he just looks a little smarter next to Young's floundering in ATP event first rounds. Cilic is steller 1-4 Young is lights out @ 0-9 at the ATP level. Not exactly proof positive differences from either camp to draw conclusions from.

http://www.atptennis.com/en/players...,+Marin&player2=Young,+Donald&playernum2=Y124

Cilic's particiation on Croatia's Davis Cup team should again be of no suprise. Although Croatia won Davis Cup they don't exactly have the deepest talent pool to draw from. He got drubbed last time out 1,1 and 2 by Nalbandian in a menaingless dead rubber. Watch out Cilic you might get your feelings hurt by the big boys.

A lot of good points have been made here by many posers but reserve judgement on DY for a year or two maybe 3 please. To Young's credit there have not been to many year end junior number #1's at the age of 16. That does make him different than most players his age, ever. And just because he's the #1 junior does not mean he's then ready for pro comp.

Meanwhile DY's mother needs to lighten up a little. I understand the defense of her son but some critiquing is going to come from many including the Davis Cup Captain. If she'd take a minute to try to hear what's being said and look at her sons dismal tour efforts maybe she'd understand where PMAC is coming from. Sometimes an opinion with some truth in it hurts. I really think PMAC underlying message is for the Young camp to be careful with him. While winning junior events all the time may not be good, losing top level pro event 1st rounds badly is not good either.

As of late DY has been playing more Futures and Satillites. It just goes less noticed due to lack of media coverage.

http://www.itftennis.com/mens/players/activity.asp?player=100035263
 
Marius_Hancu said:
Cilic doesn't seem to have played in the juniors this year and Young has played just Easter Ball:

http://www.itftennis.com/juniors/players/activity.asp?player=100018489
http://www.itftennis.com/juniors/players/activity.asp?player=100035263

so based on these data I don't think anyone can see Cilic's playing a lot in the juniors.
Click to expand...
hmmm... well in that case young has a good shot at the #1 postion. but it won't be easy once cllic gets back on the junior circut. remeber though cllic also played davis cup so he could be taking some time off
 
J-man said:
hmmm... well in that case young has a good shot at the #1 postion. but it won't be easy once cllic gets back on the junior circut. remeber though cllic also played davis cup so he could be taking some time off
Click to expand...

I'm not so sure that Cilic is coming back to Junior tennis.

He's starting to build up a respectable ATP start - he's got himself a win over Igor Andreev already. He's won a couple of matches in Challengers, including a win over top-100 pro Alexander Waske. In the futures level, he's gotten to a one final and won one tournament.

He's gotten himself a quite respectable start in the pros - it seems like it's a path that will lead him up to the top 100 if he keeps at it. I don't see any reason for him to go back to playing Juniors.
 
I think every player's career takes shape differently and in that regard it is something Young and his team should decide, what's better for him, and P-Mac should not be making comments on what approach Young should take to insert himself in the tour. .....I mean, wasn't Patrick McEnroe the king of the first round wonders??????
 
i cant believe pmac had to 'explain' his comments. he was telling the truth. those WCs young got were more for marketing than for the advancement of his career. dont give me that BS that those losses are good learning experiences.... pls! like getting a 0-0 beatdown is worthwhile. go play challengers and futures. i cant believe they even gave him 9. either the USTA is just whack or they are desperate to have any US tennis player in the spotlight since 1. roddick is in a sh*tt* slump, 2. blake may not be black enough 3. the williams sisters are absent 4. lindsay is an old fart (and not to mention our greatest ASSets: ginepri, dent, and fish)

i feel sorry for this kid. i hope he doesnt end up like a failed experiment. they need to get him a real coach too so he can develop his game. all this time playing at bolliteri will have him playing like a b*tc* when he hits the tour. thats probably why he keeps losing at the pro level.
 
Fact:

Cilic lost 1st round to Mahut today in Monte Carlo Qs, in 3 sets.

As another poster mentioned, he had a WC there. It was offered probably through the help of Zeliko Franulovic, the tournament director, another Yugoslavian (not sure if Croat or Serb).

We'll have to watch both DY and Cilic to see how they progress through the ranks.

Even if Young is relatively small, if he really has the talent, he could become someone like Rios or Coria.
 
young has the talent to surpass his idol pete sampras? give me a break. sampras started playing pro at 16 (and didn't loose every match he ever played) and at 19 got his 1st of 14 majors. i think ppl need to know when they should keep their mouth shut in deference to the greats. this guy is just a kid. i think what makes me most angry is that his parnets are being so cocky about him. if hes so good that he deserves to be playing at the masters level, then why doesn't he dominate all the futures and challengers? it seems ridiculous to me that a talent like agassi used the challengers MIDWAY into his career becasue he didnt' have enough confidence and didn't feel right playing in the big events. its one thing if the kid is getting wild cards into random small atp tourneys, its another thing all together when hes consistently getting them in the big events, merely because hes an "up and comer" and lets be honest becasue hes african american. what sandiegotennisboy is saying is absolutely true, this kid is marketable, so thats basically all that matters to the USTA. if this kid deserves wild cards into such prestigious events, he should've won a match or two, at least a set, out of what 9 tries? it may come off as disrespectful what hes saying, but pmac is right. this kid needs to be the top out of the futures and challengers circuits, before he gets into the outer echelon of the atp, and after proving himself there, then he can play masters and majors based on his ranking and his proven worth. i have nothing agasint the kid, but its ridiculous for a 16 year old who hasn't won a set off these guys to honestly say that he deserves his wild cards and that its inappropriate to critique his getting manhandled on court.
 
Regardless of the truth of PMacs statements (and I agree with him), if DY is old enough and mature enough to play ATP events, he damn well better be mature enough to take a little criticism from a tennis commentator.
 
Oh Geez....... Donald Young is getting trashed here worse than Roddick... does he even have pubic hair yet??.... I mean, c'mon now people.
 
PMac is right in his comments about Young.

Personally, I'm getting sick of the Young family squeezing whatever publicity they can about every little thing that's said about their little superstar boy. They will kill his career before it even starts.
 
RiosTheGenius said:
Oh Geez....... Donald Young is getting trashed here worse than Roddick... does he even have pubic hair yet??.... I mean, c'mon now people.
Click to expand...

Just another "I hate Donald Young because he's better than me" thread. I'm tired of trying to relay any sense to the matter. World # 1 juniors will always get wildcards into ATP events in their home countries from now until the end of the earth. Get used to it even if the guy/girl is 0-9, 1-4 or whatever.
 
i don't hate him because he's better than me. i just hate the things that come out of his mouth and some of the wildcards he takes (if anything the only wildcards he should take are to the USopen main draw).
 
J-man said:
i don't hate him because he's better than me. i just hate the things that come out of his mouth and some of the wildcards he takes (if anything the only wildcards he should take are to the USopen main draw).
Click to expand...

Put yourself in his shoes. At 16 years old he finished #1 in the juniors in the world. Pretty unheard of for a male. He already is a pro with an agent and big contracts in hand. They along with his parents want him to play in those tournaments. Now that he's 0-9 maybe they'll focus on the lower level events. Sure he desereved the WC into the US Open for winning Kalamzoo. But winning the Aussie juniors at 15 and finishing the year #1 garnered him more attention. He got a bunch of WC's into events in his home country the USA. Since Cilic was the example if Croatia has as many pro stops and Master Series events he'd most likely do the same. See my previous example.

As for the stuff out of his and his parents mouth. We'll they are a little defensive.

Give him some time. They are navigating unchartered waters. No the Williams sisters are not a good comparison. Maybe with a little time and ATP level sucess they'll come around.
 
andfor said:
Put yourself in his shoes. At 16 years old he finished #1 in the juniors in the world. Pretty unheard of for a male. He already is a pro with an agent and big contracts in hand. They along with his parents want him to play in those tournaments. Now that he's 0-9 maybe they'll focus on the lower level events. Sure he desereved the WC into the US Open for winning Kalamzoo. But winning the Aussie juniors at 15 and finishing the year #1 garnered him more attention. He got a bunch of WC's into events in his home country the USA. Since Cilic was the example if Croatia has as many pro stops and Master Series events he'd most likely do the same. See my previous example.

As for the stuff out of his and his parents mouth. We'll they are a little defensive.

Give him some time. They are navigating unchartered waters. No the Williams sisters are not a good comparison. Maybe with a little time and ATP level sucess they'll come around.
Click to expand...

Well said Andfor. The Donald Young bashing is getting old. Personally, I was wondering if he deserved all of the attention at first, but now I hope he overcomes all of this crap and shows the world a thing or two. Hopefully, Donald will take a few cues from Scoville, who I think is a great example of a developing player on and off the court.
 
michaellashan said:
I hope he overcomes all of this crap and shows the world a thing or two.
Click to expand...

He already did. He showed the world that he is so consumed by this idea that he is special, that he is willing to get bageled, literally destroyed, in pro tournaments over and over again. Fortunately, in tennis, his opinion doesn't count for much, he has to win. All he does is lose.
 
andfor said:
Put yourself in his shoes. At 16 years old he finished #1 in the juniors in the world. Pretty unheard of for a male.
Click to expand...

As opposed to what... I female? LOL That doesn't make any sense.

Look, the fact of the matter here is that success in the Juniors doesn't always translate into success in the pros. There's been tons of players who did great in the Juniors like Justin Gimelstob who never quite pulled it off in the pros. Roddick was an exception, but as mentioned he had big weapons wheras Donald Young has nothing except blue contacts.
 
PeterSampras said:
As opposed to what... I female? LOL That doesn't make any sense.

Look, the fact of the matter here is that success in the Juniors doesn't always translate into success in the pros. There's been tons of players who did great in the Juniors like Justin Gimelstob who never quite pulled it off in the pros. Roddick was an exception, but as mentioned he had big weapons wheras Donald Young has nothing except blue contacts.
Click to expand...

That's right. As you said as opposed to what. No male has ever finished the year #1 in the world juniors at the age of 16. There are no examples. He's in unchartered waters.

I already said being the #1 junior does not mean you're ready for the pros. Yea it also does not mean you'll be a good pro. We already had the debate that many (I can't remember the percentages) juniors who finish the world junior ranks #1 go on to successful careers. Of course if they don't turn out to be #1 on the ATP then according to many around here they suck. Then you use the Gimelstob example. You could have come up with something better.

So what's your point and what's with the Gimelstob comparison to DY? Gimelstob was not #1 in the world at 16 in the juniors and went to UCLA for a year. He only made it to #25 in the ITF junior rankings. Bad example.
http://www.itftennis.com/juniors/players/player.asp?player=10010018

I could defend DY all day and for about 2 to 3 more years. He's only 16 and due to his huge success in the tennis world of juniors is an easy target pick on.
 
andfor said:
Put yourself in his shoes. At 16 years old he finished #1 in the juniors in the world. Pretty unheard of for a male. He already is a pro with an agent and big contracts in hand. They along with his parents want him to play in those tournaments. Now that he's 0-9 maybe they'll focus on the lower level events. Sure he desereved the WC into the US Open for winning Kalamzoo. But winning the Aussie juniors at 15 and finishing the year #1 garnered him more attention. He got a bunch of WC's into events in his home country the USA. Since Cilic was the example if Croatia has as many pro stops and Master Series events he'd most likely do the same. See my previous example.

As for the stuff out of his and his parents mouth. We'll they are a little defensive.

Give him some time. They are navigating unchartered waters. No the Williams sisters are not a good comparison. Maybe with a little time and ATP level sucess they'll come around.
Click to expand...
okay i get your point. it's his damn parents:mrgreen:
 
I might be a little late but Cilic has won a pro match and 2 futures titles and another final, and a world ranking of 379.
DY on the other hand loses to the former number 1 player at Clemson university,

I think cilic has the upper hand on DY, just going by the facts here
 
Cfidave said:
I'm wondering if PMacs boy, Andy Roddick, played a lot of challengers and Futures? Seems to me he just started getting wild cards, and got beat pretty badly for a while. Also, I don't believe either Williams sister even played juniors, much less the semi-pro circuit. So maybe this necessary step Pmac eludes to may not apply to all.
Click to expand...

Nope, that's not Andy's history at all. He won a challenger in Hawaii, and then at age 18, he won ATP events, Atlanta and Houston back to back, and then beat Pete in Miami. So his ranking went on the rise, and then the hype matchine started. And he continued to win on the ATP.

And then he was so hyped that people figured he would have won a slam or two by the time he was 19.

Things with Donald are so much OTT compared to that, IMO. I agree with McEnroe. Everyone is anxious to find the next great thing in US tennis, but pushing it to this extreme doesn't help.

Tommy Ho is famous for not being famous. And Donald Young is in contention for the same dis-honour.
 
cmb said:
I might be a little late but Cilic has won a pro match and 2 futures titles and another final, and a world ranking of 379.
DY on the other hand loses to the former number 1 player at Clemson university,

I think cilic has the upper hand on DY, just going by the facts here
Click to expand...

That's true, but I don't care about how someone else is doing, and if I do I make sure that when I play them I win, no matter their results. Donald has beat him 6-3,7-5 so based on that I will stick with Donald!
 
The kid should just go to college and grow-up, go through adolescence and young adulthood. Play college tennis and dominate on that level before you start playing with grown men; especially with his small physical stature and finesse game. If he had weapons like Sampras or Becker I might think differently but from everything I've heard he doesn't have anything like that. And even with Sampras his game took time to mature, like Federer.

Young needs to grow inside and outside before he starts playing with adult men. Go to college, party a little, have some girlfriends, study some history, gain some perspective on life and yourself. Tennis is not going anywhere. In fact, his tennis will only improve from his overall maturation.

This whole episode is ridiculous. Male teenage tennis players cannot do what female teenage tennis players do.

His parents need to back up and let the boy develop before they start talking about what he's going to do publicly. There's a a reason he was double bagelled in a pro tournament. I'm sure they'll say they're following the strategy that Sampras took- playing up and paying some very hard dues along the way. I hope they're right. Perhaps they're making too much money to think deeply. It's a little disgusting to be honest. It reminds me of Capriati's situation in a way.
 
So true........

chiru said:
young has the talent to surpass his idol pete sampras? give me a break. sampras started playing pro at 16 (and didn't loose every match he ever played) and at 19 got his 1st of 14 majors. i think ppl need to know when they should keep their mouth shut in deference to the greats. this guy is just a kid. i think what makes me most angry is that his parnets are being so cocky about him. if hes so good that he deserves to be playing at the masters level, then why doesn't he dominate all the futures and challengers? it seems ridiculous to me that a talent like agassi used the challengers MIDWAY into his career becasue he didnt' have enough confidence and didn't feel right playing in the big events. its one thing if the kid is getting wild cards into random small atp tourneys, its another thing all together when hes consistently getting them in the big events, merely because hes an "up and comer" and lets be honest becasue hes african american. what sandiegotennisboy is saying is absolutely true, this kid is marketable, so thats basically all that matters to the USTA. if this kid deserves wild cards into such prestigious events, he should've won a match or two, at least a set, out of what 9 tries? it may come off as disrespectful what hes saying, but pmac is right. this kid needs to be the top out of the futures and challengers circuits, before he gets into the outer echelon of the atp, and after proving himself there, then he can play masters and majors based on his ranking and his proven worth. i have nothing agasint the kid, but its ridiculous for a 16 year old who hasn't won a set off these guys to honestly say that he deserves his wild cards and that its inappropriate to critique his getting manhandled on court.
Click to expand...


Absolutely true, especially about the shade of his skin and his heritage, and I say that as an American of a similar shade and heritage to Young.

Were his skin not brown, combined with an interesting game and his junior ranking, neither Nike nor anyone else would not be all over him. He'd just be another promising junior who's future was unknown and definitely unpredictable.

It's all very sad, especially with a kid who has no sense of perspective or of himself. How could he at 16? He's supposed to depend on his parents for this, unfortunately.
 
andfor said:
Put yourself in his shoes. At 16 years old he finished #1 in the juniors in the world. Pretty unheard of for a male. He already is a pro with an agent and big contracts in hand. They along with his parents want him to play in those tournaments. Now that he's 0-9 maybe they'll focus on the lower level events. Sure he desereved the WC into the US Open for winning Kalamzoo. But winning the Aussie juniors at 15 and finishing the year #1 garnered him more attention. He got a bunch of WC's into events in his home country the USA. Since Cilic was the example if Croatia has as many pro stops and Master Series events he'd most likely do the same. See my previous example.

As for the stuff out of his and his parents mouth. We'll they are a little defensive.

Give him some time. They are navigating unchartered waters. No the Williams sisters are not a good comparison. Maybe with a little time and ATP level sucess they'll come around.
Click to expand...


He's still a kid, and a small kid at that. His parents need to back off and let the boy develop into a man. If he wants to follow any role model it should be Blake or John Mcenroe himself. Go to college, dominate or at least do very well in college, mature in yourself, grow a little, get some hair on your chest, pump some iron, expand your mind in some interesting classes, fall in love, party a little, etc.

Then test the professional waters, as a young man.

Otherwise his parents are doing him a disservice, just like Richard Williams did his daughters, and Capriati's father did her. I think that's why these women never reached their full potential on the tour; because they never developed as young women, in themselves, in a way that takes time and experience. I'm certain that's why Venus and Serena are so blase about tennis. They want to learn more about themselves as a whole, off the court, in a way most people learn about themselves from 18-22 through college or work.

It will be intersting to see how much longer Sharapova goes without a real-life break.

Sampras is probably the glaring exception to this general pattern but he's the exception in almost every way. Agassi, however, took a mid-career break and returned much more mature and focused, as did Capriati.

Ultimately, the kids lose when their natural growth is stunted by this hunger for fame and money. There's a great deal more to life than tennis.
 
Cavaleer said:
He's still a kid, and a small kid at that. His parents need to back off and let the boy develop into a man. If he wants to follow any role model it should be Blake or John Mcenroe himself. Go to college, dominate or at least do very well in college, mature in yourself, grow a little, get some hair on your chest, pump some iron, expand your mind in some interesting classes, fall in love, party a little, etc.

Then test the professional waters, as a young man.

Otherwise his parents are doing him a disservice, just like Richard Williams did his daughters, and Capriati's father did her. I think that's why these women never reached their full potential on the tour; because they never developed as young women, in themselves, in a way that takes time and experience. I'm certain that's why Venus and Serena are so blase about tennis. They want to learn more about themselves as a whole, off the court, in a way most people learn about themselves from 18-22 through college or work.

It will be intersting to see how much longer Sharapova goes without a real-life break.

Sampras is probably the glaring exception to this general pattern but he's the exception in almost every way. Agassi, however, took a mid-career break and returned much more mature and focused, as did Capriati.

Ultimately, the kids lose when their natural growth is stunted by this hunger for fame and money. There's a great deal more to life than tennis.
Click to expand...

Whatever, he does not need to go to college and party. Are you an idiot? He will never, I repeat never make as much money after tennis than he will during his pro playing career. Why do you think guys like Blake and Bobby Reynolds go pro while in college without even winning the NCAA's. MONEY! They get offered 6 figures to sign conracts to go pro.

Blake was not #1 in the world in the boys 18's, he was not even close. John McEnroe played junior tennis back in 1976, come on. Next thing people will be comparing DY to Pancho Segura or Bill Tilden. You included Sampras as an example, but you forgot Courier, Chang, Rios, Federer, Bagdatis, Nalbandian, Coria (who when he turned pro was smaller and more frail than DY), Safin, Rafter, Hewitt, etc. etc. Most of these guys are not scared for life. Although Safin is the nuttiest of the bunch.

The more I type and think about what you wrote, the more I am sure much of what you're saying is sarcasim. Very funny.
 
I agree with what Pmac is saying. Win challengers and futures, then go to the next level with high confidence. It's better than thinking you're da bomb and start playing in Masters events without winning an ATP set.
 
andfor said:
Whatever, he does not need to go to college and party. Are you an idiot? He will never, I repeat never make as much money after tennis than he will during his pro playing career. Why do you think guys like Blake and Bobby Reynolds go pro while in college without even winning the NCAA's. MONEY! They get offered 6 figures to sign conracts to go pro.

Blake was not #1 in the world in the boys 18's, he was not even close. John McEnroe played junior tennis back in 1976, come on. Next thing people will be comparing DY to Pancho Segura or Bill Tilden. You included Sampras as an example, but you forgot Courier, Chang, Rios, Federer, Bagdatis, Nalbandian, Coria (who when he turned pro was smaller and more frail than DY), Safin, Rafter, Hewitt, etc. etc. Most of these guys are not scared for life. Although Safin is the nuttiest of the bunch.

The more I type and think about what you wrote, the more I am sure much of what you're saying is sarcasim. Very funny.
Click to expand...


Valid points but none of the players you mentioned had the media hype Young has at such a young age- only female players have had that. Mcenroe was a one or two-time NCAA champion at Stanford before he went pro. Sampras was an unknown when he won the Open the first time. Chang made a splash at RG and certainly overachieved but eventually burnt out. Ditto with Courier. Federer's game didn't develop to what we now know until he was 22. Rios never pulled it together because of his mental-emotional frailty. And none of them had micro-managing parents. That's usually reserved for the women.

But all those players flew under the radar and developed their games without the pressure, even Nadal wasn't known until he made a big splash on the professional level by putting Federer on the ropes, not because he was a talented junior. And we all know how mental-emotional tennis is as a sport. Roddick is perhaps the closest recent example of this amount of hype. And if Young develops along Roddick lines his career certainly wouldn't be a failure.

Also, I'm not saying Young will be scarred for life by not going to college. But I believe it's the same logic with HS basketball players missing some important personal growth by skipping straight to the League.

Tennis, like basketball, is not going anywhere because of a couple of years in college. If anything, you develop more skills internally.

But you're right, he like the other players will most likely not make anywhere near the dough he's making on the courts and for that reason alone it's difficult to say no to the money and the hype that accompanies it.

I understand the logic but I disagree with the pressure and focus from his parents. Hopefully, this strategy won't backfire. Hopefully his game will mature and he will mature as a man. Hopefully his game will grow the way the other players games grew between 18-22.

But the spotlight is a very sharp double-edged sword, as he and his parents are now discovering. If he can bounce back from being spanked consistently, the way Sampras and others did, he will definitely mature. If not, he'll need that college diploma, even if it's just a few classes on personal finance, management and microeconomics.

And rest assured, you have never encountered anything farther from an idiot than I.


Cavaleer
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
Young upset with PMac
2
Replies
80
Views
5K
mr2union
M
George Turner
Donald Young to tear up the field next year.
Replies
35
Views
2K
YellowFedBetter
YellowFedBetter
S
Donald Young does it again.. wild card expert..
Replies
20
Views
2K
Nuke
Nuke
P
Donald Young, The Former Junior #1
Replies
19
Views
3K
sureshs
S
B
Young not concerned despit losing record
2
Replies
62
Views
4K
guernica1
G
Back
Top