Tennis Prose




Dec/16

6

Ryan Harrison Analyzes His Comeback Surge in 2016

104 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Bios

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By Scoop Malinowski

Ryan Harrison reached his career high ranking of ATP No. 43 back in 2012 at the age of 20 but then lost his way over the last couple of years, mysteriously dropping outside the top 100. After a difficult start in 2016 which featured several disappointing first half of the year losses, Harrison suddenly rejuvenated his career with a surge of fine play in Washington DC. After posting several impressive wins Harrison initiated his best hot streak in years and was able to break back into the top 100. The 24-year-old now will have a direct entry into the Australian Open main draw. Last week at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL, the soon-to-be married Harrison (late March 2017/Lauren Mchale) analyzed how he was able to turn his season and career around in 2016 and also touched on what he’s working on now to continue his ascent up the ATP World Tour rankings…

Scoop Malinowski: You got your career back on track in 2016, you had an excellent second half of 2016. What was the turning point for you?

Ryan Harrison: Starting the hard court season for me was always going to be something that I was looking forward to, just being an American and playing the US Open Series, I was able to kick it off right away in DC qualifying and make the third round. I think it was mental mostly. Just really putting myself in a position where regardless of score, regardless of what was happening throughout the match, that I was going to be tuned in the whole time. Some of those matches where I was getting down the early break or getting up and early break and giving it back, whatever sort of situation that you’d face that could kind of throw you off course. In my previous matches I’ve been letting it kind of shake me a little bit. I feel like I did a really good job the second half of the year of just staying through whatever situation of a match came about. I just stayed solid and stay mentally tough.

Scoop: So was there one specific match where the confidence came back?

Ryan Harrison: Yeah, I think the Troicki match in DC. I beat him in a real tough, hour-and-a-half-long first set 7-6 where I think I had like 12 or 13 break points which I didn’t capitalize on and I still won the set. I remember thinking I always play Victor tough, I played him three or four times that I knew I was going to have an opportunity play him tough because of our previous match history. Once I got off that match I just said if I can really play every match with the same sort of intensity that I have today and I’m going to give myself a chance to win a lot of matches if I beat him and he’s top 30 the world just doing that all the time and I know that there’s no reason why I can’t do that when I’m not playing him. I’m like, okay, I need to bring that every day and that will bring consistency in results and it did.

Scoop: Last year looked like you could have been playing better than you were when you were 40 in the world. Is that accurate?

Ryan Harrison: Yeah, definitely. If you looked at where I was in the second half of the year and how I played even after the Open, even before the Open in Toronto and DC I definitely felt like that could be accurate. My ranking is up to 90 right now which the ranking system is kind of reflective over 12 months so I guess we’ll see in June if I’m up to the top 40 or whatever or where I’ll be at hopefully. I truly feel if I continue to be as consistent as I was last for five months then I’ll be up around there and hopefully move forward. But for me, like I said, it was just a matter of consistent results.

Scoop: What was the best match you played last season?

Ryan Harrison: The biggest win was definitely the Raonic match at the Open. That was the biggest win. Had some really quality matches, even in a couple of losses. I lost four in the third round of Toronto to Berdych and we had an absolute battle. Playing a really quality first round match of Toronto against Andrey Kuznetsov, who’s top 40, and I beat him very comfortably. All in all I think that probably the Raonic match was one of the most gratifying ones. Just because it was the top four player at a slam. I hadn’t really had a big result like that a slam yet.

Scoop: What are you working on right now to take the next step in your game?

Ryan Harrison: Transition. My ground game and my overall serving and returning has been solid but now I’m trying to start to build toward more of an aggressive play. Because now that I’m playing against those guys in the top 20 in the world pretty frequently again you can’t expect to get wins over those guys on a consistent basis unless you have actual weapons. You can win every now and then if you’re playing reactive kind of tennis where you’re waiting to see what they do but in order to really put up consistent results it needs to be on your terms. So I’m working on using my ability to transition to the net. I can use my athleticism to my advantage.

Scoop: You seemed quicker last year than you ever. You’re court movement was clearly better. How did that happen?

Ryan Harrison: Well, you know, playing a lot of matches makes you faster just because you can’t really simulate that match intensity (in practice). And I had to play a lot of qualifying matches, that’s just because I was playing a lot of tournament qualies. I’m getting two to three matches in every week before the main draw even starts. So every Saturday Sunday I’m playing matches, playing matches and I end up playing four to five matches a week especially over US Open Series and all that heat, it’s hard not to get fit when you’re playing that many matches. So that was a big step as far as just playing a lot of tennis and then after that the little things come into play. If you were playing a lot of matches and you’re in a tournament it’s really easy to be on top of your diet because you know that you’re playing on a schedule… I’m going to wake up, I’m eating breakfast at this time, I’m eating lunch at this time, and then if I win we have to have a healthy dinner because we’re going to do it again tomorrow. So it’s kind of funny because I don’t know comes first, the chicken or the egg, because if you do all the things right and you have good results, once you’re having good results it becomes easier to do all the things right because you have to do it to stay on track. So I felt like the last four months for me we’re, day in and day out, I felt like I knew what I was going to get out of my game. Now going into the off-season I’m taking what I know I’m gonna have as far as the serve and the return and the consistent ground game. I’m building on top of that as far as making myself more comfortable at the net and transitioning.398374_10150503152526370_1718839495_a

104 comments

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 9, 2016 at 6:11 pm

    Andrew: Deep down I wonder how much Becker actually uplifted the already great Djokovic – I would not be surprised if Becker was more of a friend and sort of distraction like having a superstar accessory around to absorb attention / pressure – like when it’s just Djokovic it’s all eyes on Djokovic – having Becker around takes away a portion of that distracting attention / pressure – if Djokovic dominates again next year it will prove that Becker was disposable – if he struggles then it proves Becker was probably vitally important –

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 9, 2016 at 6:12 pm

    Hartt: No surprise Kecmanovic is dominating juniors – no surprise at all – see him play and you remember how he can make tennis appear easy – maybe the calmest most relaxed great player I ever saw –

  • Andrew Miller · December 9, 2016 at 7:40 pm

    Scoop judging from Djokovic season going from French champ to #2 id say evidence speaks foritself and Boris Becker was the difference between fine tuning and optimizing the Djokovic game to outwit a Lendl-molded Murray and turning into a runner up at slams. Boris mattered.

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 9, 2016 at 8:01 pm

    Andrew: Becker certainly was valuable but just in what way is the question – next year will tell us a lot – if Djokovic goes on another super win streak without Becker then it downsizes Becker’s value – if he continues to drop down the rankings and suffers surprising losses then Becker’s coaching stock value rises –

  • catherine bell · December 10, 2016 at 3:52 am

    More on doubles – I asked before but I’m asking again – does anyone know anything about the pro doubles event held I think in Dallas in the 1980s ?
    An attempt to popularise doubles back then but I don’t recall how long it continued.

    Also – doubles, although very entertaining, is actually quite hard to write about in an interesting way. There’s so much going on and so many people on court.

  • Dan Markowitz · December 10, 2016 at 4:36 pm

    Doubles is hard to popularize for a few reasons, one, is that the most exciting part of tennis is to see a player run fast across the court and make a winning shot. This for the most part doesn’t happen in tennis because players are only covering half the court. So the game is a half-court game, mostly up and back and you’re not seeing great athletic moves for the most part because the court is mostly covered and players don’t have to make great gets.

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 10, 2016 at 6:35 pm

    Doubles is spectacular in it’s own way – you have to create and think constantly and use variety lobs etc – For every incredible singles classic I have seen I can also site an equally incredible doubles battle – both great singles and great doubles are awe inspiring in their own different ways – Today I just played an incredible doubles league showdown against an Australian who played Davis Cup – Warren Girle and we won 63 67 10-8 with about three dozen people watching on center court at Longboat Key Tennis Center – everybody stayed to watch to the end too – incredible tennis all around and this guy Girle hit two behind the back volleys rapid fire too – Everybody enjoyed this doubles over the singles earlier in the day – Doubles was always on center court while the singles was on the side courts – Doubles rules in Longboat Key –

  • Hartt · December 10, 2016 at 6:49 pm

    Scoop, congrats on the win.

    I think there are a lot of great shots in doubles. I enjoy watching the rapid-fire volleys when all the players have quick reflexes. And I think doubles players do have to make great gets – hitting a tough lob, or making a shot around the net post, or running behind the partner when that is the only way to get the shot back. A player making a pickup from his feet. Or the perfect poach.

  • Andrew Miller · December 10, 2016 at 10:39 pm

    I won’t dispute Dan. Distances are shorter in doubles. However the game is different live. Like I’ve said before I watched a worthless singles match on tv for the Australian Open featuring Coric, apparently an up and coming superstar, who played with no interest and no effort in a major slam.

    I’ve never seen that lack of effort in live doubles matches. So sure, there may not be anyone in the stands – sometimes it’s a full house and sometimes frankly it’s like a ghost town. But the players still play for their team mates and generally that’s sufficient peer pressure to make them push themselves, and that results in pretty great tennis.

    For what it’s worth it’s a different game but it’s not that much different. And it’s the game most people play. Tennis is a very lonely sport – and I can’t imagine it’s not lonely on tour. And when you lose in singles which every player but one does every tournament, you better hope you have some fall back.

    That’s where doubles comes in.

    I guarantee if there’s any talk of eliminating doubles from most tournaments fans and players alike suffer. I guarantee it.

  • Dan Markowitz · December 11, 2016 at 3:10 pm

    But that loneliness, Andrew, that lone ranger, James Dean quality about tennis, the individual struggling on his own with no coaches or teammates to help him or to back him up is what makes tennis so appealing in so many people’s eyes. You take a book like “Break Point,” I’ve had a lot of people tell me they like that book and it could never have been written by a doubles player because for the most part it’s a book about a guy who was always discounted; Stan Smith said to Vince at 18 to go to college because he didn’t think Vince had it in him to do well on the tour and Vince bucked Stan Smith and made it while more highly-respected juniors like Brian Dunn and David Witt did not; a guy who lost 21 matches in a row on tour and recovered to break into the Top 20 again; I guy who bounced around with 25 different coaches, and the book really worked because it showed the struggle a singles player, traveling for the most part on his own with no entourage, survived and thrived to some degree on the pro tour.

    Maybe the Jensen brothers who were so zany could’ve written an equally entertaining and existential book on pro tennis, but look at all the good tennis books, Open, You Can’t Be Serious, Winning Ugly, A Handful of Summers, the narrative is about being a singles player not a doubles player. Doubles is just not nearly as interesting in the arc of a narrative where a player grows up, his chances of making it as a pro player are seemingly insurmountable, but he/she perseveres and somehow does make it.

    For example, there are these two black brothers from my club, one who graduated from high school last year, his brother two years younger, who are trying to make it on the pro tour–as doubles players. And I’m like I’m not really that interested if you make it or not now because to concentrate on making it as a doubles team exclusively, when to me making it as a singles player is much more of an achievement, I don’t like that these two brothers–who won the NYS High School doubles title last year–are limiting themselves to doubles.

  • Hartt · December 11, 2016 at 4:55 pm

    Miomir Kecmanovic won the Orange Bowl defeating Yibing Wu 6-3, 6-1. So another title. 🙂

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 11, 2016 at 6:15 pm

    Doubles is an excellent subject for any tennis writer as there is plenty of drama and incredible tennis on the doubles circuit. Some of the best matches I ever saw were in doubles – Gonzalez and Massu vs Schuettler and Kiefer. Byrans vs Marach and Martin this year in Delray. Bondarenko sisters winning Australian Open. Paes and Stepanek winning Miami and Aus Open. We could go on and on and on. No author has focused on doubles yet. A first book centering on doubles is still to come.

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 11, 2016 at 6:17 pm

    Kecmanovic is the best and I expect he will win a few ATP level matches this year. I was told by an Argentine teaching pro friend here that Delpo broke a finger vs Cilic in Davis Cup and was going to quit after being down two sets with the broken finger but opted to continue and won despite a broken finger on left hand. This guy has Argentine tennis connections and is friends with Vilas. Another heroic aspect of Delpo’s glorious win.

  • catherine bell · December 12, 2016 at 3:45 am

    Scoop-

    Doubles is exciting and absorbing and all the rest but I think you’ll be waiting in vain for a whole book about doubles matches unless there’s a supporting drama – ie DC Cup tie etc.

    Pure action is extremely difficult to translate to words in any meaningful way – we just don’t have the vocabulary. There’s got to be another story going on.

  • Hartt · December 12, 2016 at 6:39 am

    Am so excited, need to share this news. A young Toronto player, Brayden Schnur, just won the Tallahassee Futures, beating J.C. Aragone in SS. This is Schnur’s 3rd singles title in Futures and he has 4 doubles titles, the most recent this past Sept.

    I first saw Brayden play in 2014 when he won his qualies match at the Rogers Cup. I had never heard of him, but was very impressed with his play that day. He trained at Tennis Canada’s national training centre from 2011-2013. Brayden went to the University of North Carolina until this past May, turning pro in the summer. He was a successful college player, winning the 2014 National Indoor Championships.

    It is too early in his pro career to know if Schnur will be a successful player. His current ranking is #543 (highest #456), but he is talented and at 6’3″ a good size, so he has a decent shot.

  • Andrew Miller · December 12, 2016 at 9:06 am

    Scoop sounds like a market an experienced writer can exploit. We all know tennis is more complex and interesting than the box scores. It is also more interesting than some players’ awful memoirs, who would have benefitted from a Dan or from Agassis cowriter. The doubles voice has been captured in random articles from time to time. Heck i could have written about a riveting Harrison Novikov Baker Krajicek doublew match. Some great writer or inspired journalist may yet write chapters about the Bryans losing their davis cup spot soon or stepping up to the plate for a last hurrah and slam troumph.

    The drama is there. The writers arent.

  • Andrew Miller · December 12, 2016 at 9:10 am

    Bottom line: too few journalists reporters photographers chasing too many stories. At most local tournaments the same writers are doing double duty and having to overlook twenty great matches and saceifice all for a story on say Fritz forehand, not his dubs match.with Opelka.

    Again It isnt doubles fault.

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 12, 2016 at 9:13 am

    Catherine: I saw Paes and Stepanek up a set and a break vs The Bryans in Key Biscayne – I was sitting next to Paes coach Rich Leach in the front row behind Paes and Step on a changeover in second set after a break Step leaned over and said “I love you” and Paes grabbed Step’s head and kissed Step’s forehead – Plenty of stories happen in tennis – it’s just about if the journalist observes and finds those stories – Gotta dig and work and observe and dig dig dig –

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 12, 2016 at 9:14 am

    Bryan Brothers brawling and fighting with each other etc etc etc -Plenty of stories in doubles – Writers gotta dig dig dig –

  • Hartt · December 12, 2016 at 10:36 am

    I could not find even a blog that deals with doubles. Yes, there is an unmined field for the right writers.

  • Hartt · December 12, 2016 at 10:43 am

    Because this is the active thread will post this here, instead of the Kecmanovic article. Fox Sports has a piece on Kecmanovic winning the Orange Bowl, the third player to win it consecutively (Boys’ 18s singles). He is also the third player to win the title at both Eddie Herr and the Orange Bowl in the same year. The others are Dominic Thiem (2011) and Andy Roddick (1999), so Kemmanovic is in good company. 🙂

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 12, 2016 at 11:21 am

    Hartt: I’m wondering if the domain http://www.Doubles.com is available? 🙂

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 12, 2016 at 11:24 am

    There is also an article in the Bradenton Herald today about Kecmanovic’s historic Orange Bowl win. He’s only the third to win and defend the 18s boys title since Billy Martin (73-74) and Harold Solomon (69-70). Also very good company.

  • Hartt · December 12, 2016 at 11:50 am

    Scoop, I bet that domain name is available!

  • catherine bell · December 12, 2016 at 12:11 pm

    Scoop –

    Some of those incidents you mention should be written about when they happen – would make good article type pieces. But a book ? No, not without a framework. And a lot of co-operation from the players.

    I agree with Dan – it’s the individual struggling that makes tennis special. The best books (few I admit) do that effectively.

  • Hartt · December 12, 2016 at 12:18 pm

    More about Miomir Kecmanovic. The Zoo Tennis site has a very nice piece about his win. She quotes his opponent, Yibing Wu, of China, saying:”He was really tough, he put the ball really deep. He served and returned very good and has strong mind.” Sounds like a pretty complete player for such a young guy.

    Kecmanovic has had a busy 4 weeks, playing in 4 tourneys, winning 3, and reaching the QFs of the Yucatan Cup.

    Apparently he might play the Roland Garros Junior tourney next season, “But his goal is to keep improving his game with an eye toward moving up in the ATP rankings.”

    Scoop, she also commented on something you mentioned about Kecmanovic. He was “looking relaxed and in control throughout.”

  • Andrew Miller · December 12, 2016 at 2:16 pm

    Im not disputing why singles is compelling as a gladiator drama. Im saying that the singles narrative and tons of tennis reporting even at the highest levels omits other important details such as a random doubles match that made a tournament experience better than a complete wash. When Ryan Harrison turned his season, if not career, around this year, he was 1) qualifying for tournaments 2) playing doubles at those tournaments 3) playing world team tennis singles 4) playing world team tennis doubles 5) watching his brother make his own dramatic comeback. So the narrative that reporters chose was Harrison breaks through etc or Harrison finds his former self or something very narrow.

    Like this blog says it wasnt just some speficic point in a match that launched or.rekindled Harrisons ambition, or even his fiance and coaching team lighting a fireunder him. It was a LOT of experienced – Harrisons commitment was the glue, or harnassing some of his outbursts in the service of better focus on court. I guarantee it was much more. It was seeing hoa younger players breathing down.his neck or getting better of him. It was seeong his brother find hisgame . It was playing a dubs match after bruising singles losses.

    When things are going right it is many things. When wrong, also many things.

    This is why i believe we arent about to see say Djokovic go.on a tear and win 4 straight slams. Because whatever took him to the french title cant ever be replicated. He will need some kind of enormous spark.

    Could be as simple as Kecmanovic beating Djokerin an exhibition.

  • Hartt · December 12, 2016 at 4:22 pm

    Even as they happen, doubles events are woefully under reported. When Daniel Nestor got his 1000th career win last January there was hardly a peep about it. It is an amazing achievement, only 3 ATP players (all singles guys) have done it – Connors, Lendl and Federer. There were certainly story possibilities, such as how does a (then) 43-year-old player continue to have the motivation to keep on playing and the skill to keep on winning? Even a look at all that Nestor has won is impressive. I think the only thing missing from his resume is Davis Cup. Will he stick around in an attempt to win that?

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 12, 2016 at 4:39 pm

    Catherine: Lots of odd things happen in doubles – Kubot said his partner hit a serve that hit him square in the head and ricocheted straight up in the air and then the ball descended perfectly straight down and hit him in the head AGAIN lol – Doing hundreds of biofiles with players I have heard countless odd stories about things happening in doubles to write a book -Peter Bodo even suggested to me a couple of years ago to do a book about doubles but I didn’t really take it seriously because of being very busy doing the Facing series books –

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 12, 2016 at 4:44 pm

    Hartt: I wouldn’t be surprised if Collette Lewis is a Tennis-prose reader – but no it’s pretty obvious Kecmanovic is a cool very cool customer on the court – He just makes tennis look casually easy to play even at high speed and the highest level with the highest stakes on the line –

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 12, 2016 at 4:51 pm

    Harrison also talked about Facing Andy and he said seeing Andy’s resilience in the early years of his career and then finally cracking the code and getting to no 1 this year has been “incredibly inspiring” – so count Harrison as a guy who has been very inspired by what Andy murray has done – Harrison played Andy once at the Australian Open when he was still a teenager and even won the first set but then he said Andy turned the match into a “physical war” with repeated “forty ball rallies” trying to break the kid down –

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 12, 2016 at 4:54 pm

    Hartt: I think Nestor will stay around for years to come – if he’s flying all the way over to Asia for IPTL during his holiday vacation / off season then that pretty much tells you he is nowhere close to hanging up the racquets – He will persevere on for as long as he and his body possibly can – And by how I saw him play in IPTL he looked just as strong as ever – It will come down to if he can a strong partner –

  • Hartt · December 12, 2016 at 5:46 pm

    Nestor is scheduled to play a couple tourneys in the new year with Roger-Vaselin. They have had good results in the past – hope they will be able to continue as a team.

  • catherine bell · December 13, 2016 at 3:44 am

    Scoop –

    You could do a book on doubles in the way you suggested but it would be a tough one to sell to a commercial publisher.

    However, all the best if you try it 🙂

    Hartt – why don’t you make sure doubles is reported here ? You propbabl;y know as much as anyone 🙂

  • Scoop malinowski · December 13, 2016 at 5:42 am

    I know a doubles book is a tough sell. But a market could be cultivated if its a great book. Btw two more new dubs teams for 2017 – Dodig and Granollers. Melo and Kubot. After five years Dodig and Melo are done.

  • Andrew Miller · December 13, 2016 at 3:13 pm

    The dubs “story” of 2017 is the Bryans. Whether it is searching for a reaffirming legacy slam or fighting for davis cup slots. They are in the fight of their lives. It will be interesting to see if they return to prove their value or go down without a fight. They are playing for pride now, like Scoop said. A lot of drama in it and it either pushes them or makes their dream team partnership end on their way to the hall of fame. How they leave their playing days, whether gracefully or forced out by the competition etc , there is an interesting sports illustrated worthy story there. Or at least a blogpost.

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 13, 2016 at 6:01 pm

    Andrew: Gimelstob has suggested a few times that one Bryan could retire first because of chronic injury and or he’s not as good as the other or for family reasons (two or three kids while the other Bryan doesn’t have kids) and the other Bryan could elect to keep playing with a different partner – It seemed very interesting that Gimelstob would talk about that especially because he is quite close to the Bryans and their former coach David macpherson – I believe the Bryans are still no 3 in the world – it’s not like the dropped out of the top 25 like Paes has –

  • Hartt · December 13, 2016 at 6:13 pm

    Interesting that Dodig and Melo have split. I guess 5 years is an eternity for a doubles team. The way they constantly change partners makes the coach/player relationships look downright constant.

    Catherine, I only pay attention to a few doubles teams/players. It is a major undertaking to find info on doubles, but if I do come across anything interesting will definitely post it here.

  • Andrew Miller · December 13, 2016 at 7:06 pm

    Scoop if they split partners due to one retirement that is.it.for their Davis Cup. Coach Courier will want to increase oppprtunities for the next gen and maybe bring in a Bryan for coaching.

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 13, 2016 at 7:24 pm

    True Hartt five years is a very long run together – Paes and Nestor had at least about five different partners this year alone – Farah and Cabal have been together for several years also – The Bryans are the longest running duo – Querrey and Johnson and Quizner have steadily been partnering for years together also though not week in and week out – I think Querrey’s win this year vs Djokovic officially ends Dan’s label that Q Ball is “Isner’s caddy” 🙂

  • Andrew Miller · December 13, 2016 at 9:49 pm

    Actually jury’s out on the Bryans. They pull a big result and they write their own history out there. They are like Federer and Nadal at this point – not winning slams too often these days but never can count them out.

    However the fact that they aren’t a “gimme” in doubles for Davis Cup is cause for concern for US davis cup coach because Captain Courier has an issue – he has a huge contingent of young players who will need experience and there aren’t opportunities unless you start looking closer at the doubles point.

    That said no one really outside of Steve Johnson is a fantastic doubles player for the U.S. You have Sock and Johnson, but you can’t play Sock double duty.

    Yeah I’d say with Querrey breaking the five year US drought for a slam quarterfinal Querrey had a ground-breaking year. I’d love to see him do the slam QF again.

    That said I think it’s Querrey’s example that’s crucial here – he awakened a hunger in US players. We’ll see what they do with it, but it won’t be nothing.

  • Hartt · December 13, 2016 at 10:36 pm

    On the thread for the Kecmanovic piece on tennis.com someone has posted highlights of a doubles match at Wimbledon between Felix Auger-Aliassime/Denis Shapovalov and Miomir Kecmanovic/Casper Ruud. Talk about seeing possible future stars in the same match. These youngsters were making some terrific shots and were all very competitive, giving it everything they had.

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 14, 2016 at 7:36 am

    How about a GS SF of F for Querrey next year? 🙂 No reason why he can’t one up himself – I can see Sock or Johnson or Tiafoe or Fritz going second week also – Isner too – If I’m Capn Courier I leave the Bryans off the Davis Cup team unless they can show they can still win a major because right now their aura of invincibility is gone – Give the kids the chance to shine now as we enter a new era – Coric helped take Croatia to the Davis Cup final and one of our teens can do the same for USA tennis if he gets that chance –

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 14, 2016 at 7:38 am

    Hartt: I saw Kecmanovic play doubles last year and it went to like 12-10 in the super breaker and it was some of the most incredible tennis I ever saw – Two of the players I can’t even remember who they were but they played incredible tennis too – I can’t even remember who won all I remember was the incredible tennis they all played at the end –

  • Hartt · December 14, 2016 at 8:04 am

    Have been watching a lot of videos of the youngsters and am super impressed with the quality of play and mental toughness they already exhibit at a young age.

    On a different topic, oh the life of a young athlete superstar! Sixteen-year-old Penny Oleksiak won the Lou Marsh Trophy, probably Canada’s most prestigious sports award. It is open to male and female athletes, pros and amateurs. Previous winners include Gretzky and Steve Nash. Oleksiak beat out a long list of exceptional athletes including Sydney Crosby and Milos Raonic. She seemed to come out of nowhere, winning 4 medals at the Rio Olympics, including gold in the 100-metre freestyle.

    She is a high school student, attending a regular high school. When asked how she would celebrate she said she did not have much time because she had to study for a test. But she hoped there would be cake for dinner. 🙂

    I was so glad she won, because female athletes too often are overlooked for these types of awards. Now Milos just has to have a banner season so he can win the trophy in 2017!

  • Andrew Miller · December 14, 2016 at 7:08 pm

    Scoop, if im Cap C i go with best team. What im saying is there is a kernel of doubt these days that best team is Bryans. Any other year this is a given. But with Sock and Johnson putting up good results in dubs that can change, especially if one or two next gen players make major headway and start winning atp events. Ryan Harrison can make the team too if he builds on 2016 which i expect him to do.

    As with all next gen and challenger and junior players there is no given. Zverev the younger and Kyrgios shine but saying so and so will too is not necessarily so. Tour is just too hard. But ill say they join the tour at a great time to make a mark, so many pros are retiring.

  • Scoop malinowski · December 15, 2016 at 7:26 am

    Courier has had very minimal success as captain. I day it is Time to change the structure of the team roster and inject youth Andrew. Rebuilding stage. The Bs and Sock Isner did come close though. If Sock beat Coric in that fifth maybe usa goes on to win Cup.

  • Andrew Miller · December 15, 2016 at 1:20 pm

    Scoop if Isner says he isnt playing like Roddick and Blake did then Couriers can do what he wants. But if the Bryans want to play and they struggle that makes Couriers job harder. I think Courier wants a cup triumph. You are right though that at least one Bryan brother if healthy makes a difference. Fish played with a Bryan and they won a match for Davis Cup. Probably with Bob?

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 15, 2016 at 2:54 pm

    Courier knows he is close to winning that Cup. He has the soldiers to get the job done. USA could have very easily beat Croatia in Portland, which was lost when Sock lost to Coric in five sets in the fifth rubber. If USA wins that they could have proceeded to the finals and absolutely could have beaten Argentina in the final. So Courier has some big decisions to make. I think there has to be a little desperation in Courier too because his Davis Cup record has been poor so far during his unrewarding tenure as captain. Courier is up against the wall now and I think he will make the hard decisions and won’t be afraid to hurt any feelings.

  • Andrew Miller · December 15, 2016 at 8:59 pm

    Courier didnt and still doesnt have top ten players as Pat McEnroe did in Roddick, Blake, Fish etc. So i find it hard 2 believe he was working with the same slim margin of error, Couriers margin is centimeter. Thats why if Courier loses the dubs pt or Isner has an off match thats it.

    Courier now has a more seasoned batch of players with Sock and Isner or Qball and a capable backup in SteveJo. He could begin working one or two younger players into the rotation as soon as the first round.

    And the us team is very weak in.comparison to France Croatia even Argentina even Britain! But with Socks big usopen and a renewed Isner and the Bryans or the Bryans and SteveJo plus maybe a Fritz or Tiafoe option or someone else for the five spot he has new options. Still not a cup winning team but more formidable.

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