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Feb/17

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Biofile: Donald Young Interview

 

 

By Scoop Malinowski

Status: ATP no. 1087. Turned pro in 2004. Career high ranking was 38 in 2012. Career match record is 124-190 with no ATP titles.  2017 Roland Garros doubles runner up with Santiago Gonzalez. 

Ht: 6-0 Wt: 175

DOB: July 23, 1989 In: Chicago, IL

First Tennis Memory: Playing at our local club in Chicago. Just running around with my parents, just hitting balls around with a racquet that was too big and just hitting balls.

Tennis Inspirations: Pete Sampras. John McEnroe. I really liked Marcelo Rios. Andre Agassi. All the guys that were winning pretty much.

Last Book Read: I can’t remember the name of it. I have it in my bag. Sports book, something about the conscious mind. It’s a mental book my mental lady prescribed it for me.

Greatest Sports Moment: Probably getting to the fourth round at the US Open (2011 and 2015) was pretty big for me. I’ve never been that far at a slam. And it’s especially (nice) at the home slam.

Most Painful Moment: Was losing 6060 when I was sixteen to Carlos Berlocq. And then James Blake beating the guy 6060 the next day [smiles].

Strangest Match: There’s a lot of those matches, I can’t name one. Maybe one in juniors, I lost the first set 60, I won the second set 60 and I won 76 in the third. Kinda weird. (Versus who?) Carsten Ball. It was in the Orange Bowl 16s.

Favorite Tournaments: I really like the US Open, Australian Open. I like Winston-Salem, New Haven.

Funny Tennis Memory: I think in the finals of US Open junior doubles on match point the guy hit an overhead and finished and touched the net. So he kind of touched the net at the end. So it was kind of funny for my partner and I. (Against?) Thiemo De Bakker and Carsten Ball again. I was playing with Alex Clayton.

First Famous Player You Met Or Encountered: John McEnroe. I was about eight years old. At the Nuveen Championships in Chicago.

Favorite Sport Outside Tennis: Basketball. I enjoy basketball quite a bit.

Three Athletes You Like To Watch & Follow: Michael Jordan. Tiger Woods. And LeBron James.

Why Do You Love Playing Tennis: It’s fun. I think it symbolizes life. If you don’t put in the work you don’t get the results. You have to work hard and you have to keep working at it. It’s just a great sport to play.

Current Car: I drive a Corvette (black). Like it a lot. (The new model?) No it’s not the new one. I want the new one but it’s not the new one. ’08.

People Qualities Most Admired: Honesty. And good work ethic.

You can read more Biofiles like this at www.mrbiofile.com

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9 comments

  • Andrew Miller · February 23, 2017 at 8:36 pm

    DY d Fritz in 3. Not an upset, but maybe someone who saw match can weigh in on his come from behind win. I heard an interview the other day with dy and today with Harrison. Been a good two weeks for two players that rediscovered their love for the game as Sccops fine interview shows!

  • Scoop Malinowski · February 24, 2017 at 8:24 am

    Andrew: I did not see DY beat Fritz but I did see DY beat Kozlov last year in Newport and he was super intense during that match because I would assume he had EXTRA INCENTIVE to not lose to a young American teen – The US vets hate losing to anyone but they really HATE and despise to lose to a young American teenager -it’s like the worst kind of loss because it shows the vet that he’s already on his way out and the young whippersnappers are kicking him out of his pro career – I imagine Young had a desperate urgency and extra mental incentives to beat Fritz as he did vs Kozlov – Very good win for DY who has is now officially on a surge since he upset Isner last week in memphis and then lost a very close tight SF to Harrison –

  • Dan Markowitz · February 24, 2017 at 8:37 am

    Since when is Harry Cicma a atp ranked player? I heard he barely could make the team at Rutgers.

  • Scoop Malinowski · February 24, 2017 at 9:05 am

    Harry played in two ATP main draws about a decade ago in doubles in San Jose (vs Jurgen melzer) and Newport (vs gabriel trifu) and also challengers and futures – picked up a few ATP points – just recently played an ATP Futures in Puerto Rico in December and made it to QF with Evan King –

  • Andrew Miller · February 24, 2017 at 9:20 am

    Dan that’s rich coming from a writer who wrote a post that referred to Harrison like a son of Dan Markowitz 🙂 at some point we have to credit Harrison for achieving a career high ranking within the top fifty, which some people on this thread felt may never happen again. I’ve buried the guy several times and he’s proven me wrong! He may even be the subject of your book after you write a book about the wta tour: “Coco and Spadea: Different folks, same strokes”!

  • Andrew Miller · February 24, 2017 at 9:23 am

    Sorry Dan, apologies. I thought you were referring to Harrison not Harry Cicma who I’ve never heard of. Must be an insiders thing for tennis writers.

  • Dan markowitz · February 25, 2017 at 7:32 am

    Good on Cicma. That’s impressive. No, look Harry’s beaten mostly also-ran players on his way back up to the top 50, but he beat Dzhumur in straight sets and Delpo had his hands full w him recently. Let’s see what Harry does w the big boys in IW and Miami and what Sock after he presumably beats DY does w Delpo or Raonic. I’d expect not so good on both accounts.

  • Bryan · February 26, 2017 at 2:02 pm

    Indian Wells and Miami are going to be interesting for our Americans. They’ve made some moves on these smaller events, now they gotta prove it on bigger platforms.

    Also my man Gulbis returns at IW qualies. Jerzy is on the Challenger circuit and is in the finals at one today. Hope he’s in qualies as well but I didn’t see that confirmed. Hopefully they can get going again.

  • Scoop Malinowski · February 26, 2017 at 6:46 pm

    Bryan: Gulbis played earlier this month at Rotterdam qualies and won against Stakhovsky one then lost a heartbreaker 76 in the third – His only two matches of the year I believe –

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