For obvious and subtle reasons, the early May ATP rankings were revealing for many reasons. Daniil Medvedev became the first player outside of tennis's long term Big Four -- Novak Djokovic Rafael Nadal Roger Federer and Andy Murray -- to reach the top two for nearly 16 years. This was the big, loud headliner. However, the second revelation was about who wasn’t on that list. The top 30 American men were not included for the first time ever in computerized tennis rankings.American tennis is not in the best of shape for men.The U.S. women's player pool is still exciting with seven players, from 17-year old Coco Gauff to 39 year-old Serena Williams, among the top 30. Williams reached two Grand Slam finals in 2019, while 22-year old Sofia Kenin won two in 2020 (winning Australian Open). 26-yearold Jennifer Brady reached the US Open semis and finals in September.It has been 18 years since Andy Roddick won the 2003 US Open title. This was his only Slam and the last American male win. It's been 12 years since Roddick made an American finals appearance at Wimbledon 2009, and only two Americans reached the semi-finals in the 2010s: Sam Querrey (Wimbledon 2017), and John Isner (2018). They are also the only active Americans to have ever spent more than a minute in the ATP Top 20.Tennis Major Pick 'Em - Make your picks to compete for $1,000 Take Your PicksBrad Gilbert was 54th in the world at the end of his first tour in 1982. It would rank sixth in the world today for American men. Four decades ago it was 24th. Five of the top nine positions were held by Americans at that time, with Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe being the top two. Eight others, including Gilbert, would make it to the top 10. This list does not include third-ranked Ivan Lendl who would later change his nationality from Czech into American. The Americans occupied seven of eight spots in Wimbledon quarterfinals that year, five more at US Open, and six in December's Australian Open, a week after Gene Mayer and McEnroe had led the U.S. in the Davis Cup final.The sport became more globalized, but Americans were still dominant in the 1990s. Seven Americans were among the top 20 and 21 were among the top 100 in July 1991. Jim Courier was at the peak of his career, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, and the U.S. reached the Davis Cup final again against France.However, returns decreased. Only Agassi was still in the top five by July 2001. Sampras was 12th, nearing his last hurrah. Roddick was also rising. However, Roddick was still one of three people (alongside Jan-Michael Gambill, and the fading veteran Todd Martin), in the top 40. In 2011, Roddick was a peaking Mardy Fish, Isner, ten years later.Gilbert, now an ESPN analyst, stated that he was grateful for the opportunity to play in the pros. "If you were one the most outstanding Americans, boom, your chances of getting high are good. It was easy to transition if you were a top college boy" -- Gilbert, an All-American at Pepperdine."The game is so global. There are players from all parts of the world. We had such a long time with great players that we kept expecting that to happen. Then, when it ends, you have to wonder, "What are we doing?"The loss of Sebastian Korda Monday at Wimbledon was the third consecutive time that no American woman or man has reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals since 1968, when the Open began. It also happened in 2006-2014. Alberto Pezzali Pool/Getty ImagesWhat is the U.S. not doing?Craig O'Shannessy stated that "the U.S. is No. 1 if you have a ranking in the world for practicing" 1. Ability to say, "Let's hit practice court, let’s hit gym, let’s hit track, let’s get strong." The United States Tennis Association (USTA) "has done a fantastic job of this. There is no ranking in the world for No. In practice, however, there is no No.O'Shannessy, a coach and consultant, is the brain behind Brain Game Tennis. He has been a coach and consultant to players such as Novak Djokovic, Matteo Berrettini and provided analytics-based analysis for The New York Times. He was recently involved in helping the Italian tennis federation climb. There are currently 10 Italians among the top 100, with rising 19-year-olds Jannik Siner and Lorenzo Musetti. And he has done more than anyone else to improve the field of analysis and opponent analysis. His newsletter and website reveal his core beliefs: players should serve more and volley less, matches should last four to six shots and certain play patterns have higher win rates, etc.O'Shannessy believes coaching in the States isn't connected enough to strategy. He said that the USTA's traditional practice session is where players hit 100 balls acrosscourt, then they do their patterns and throw in some serves. He believes it is easy to forget about actual point construction.Gilbert believes that a lot American style is becoming one-dimensional. He sees big serves, big offense and iffy movement as the main reasons. He said, "My theory about this has been the exact same for a while and it will not change." We need to encourage our 13-year-old players to play on clay more. We're going to struggle if we don't do this.Clay teaches so much as a child, from discipline, footwork, and working the point. Many of the children play only one to two clay tournaments per year in the States. They don't practice it. It hurts your movement and it hinders your ability to improve your game.O'Shannessy is in agreement to a certain extent. Clay is going to be a lot more helpful than the hard court to improve the construction of points, he stated. However, a lack of clay exposure shouldn't hinder a player from crafting a strategy.O'Shannessy referred to the research he did on point length. He found that the French Open clay court had a higher percentage than the US Open hard-court US Open in terms of the number of points lasting between zero and four shots.He said, "If you are coming from a viewpoint that is strictly saying that you're going to have a longer rallies on clay," he replied. In the 1980s and 1990s "American tennis had a golden age, but they didn't practice on clay." It's fine to be good on hard courts. However, hard-court success does not have to be based on clay.Andy Roddick is America's last man to win the Grand Slam singles title. In the 2003 US Open final, he beat Juan Carlos Ferrero by a straight set. Al Bello/Getty ImagesNo matter the surface, elite-level movement is the key to tennis in 2020. Gilbert stated that "a lot of guys play differently," but speed is what matters. It's amazing how much movement and athleticism Rafa Djoker Fed Murray and Fed have displayed. That ability comes at a young age, I believe. You don't suddenly become a great movers if you aren't a good mover when you turn 25."I saw Rafa play at 15!" When Djoker was 17, I saw him play at the French and thought, "Jesus, that guy moves unbelievable!" It's impossible to be great if your defense is poor, and many of the guys in our generation aren't able to defend as well as they should.The next generation is coming!It's easy to see some hope in the future, despite how depressing the past decade-plus for American men. Five of the six Americans in the ATP Top 60 are aged 24 or younger -- No. 32 Reilly Opelka (23) and No. 40 Taylor Fritz (23), Number. 50 Sebastian Korda (21) and No. 52 Tommy Paul (24), and No. 52 Tommy Paul (24) and No.Although you may be unsure about the ceilings of players such as Opelka and Tiafoe's, there is one thing that seems almost unanimous: Korda really is the best.O'Shannessy stated that Korda is "definitely the one." He doesn't beat him, he doesn’t go bananas, he strokes the court clean, the balance and the game is great. Nothing flusters him. He's gonna improve, there are no holes, no strangeness in any strokes.Korda was the son of an athletic family. Petr, his father, was the 1998 Australian Open champion, and a former world No. His mother Regina Rajchrtova was a top-30 player. Sisters Jessica and Nelly are the current No. The LPGA's Rolex Rankings include 13 and 1 golfers.Frances Tiafoe was 29th in the world's highest ranking. He was ranked 57th in the world when he entered Wimbledon. AELTC/David Gray Pool/Getty ImagesO'Shannessy stated that his dad is well-versed in all the potholes on the road. He can guide his son around potholes, give advice, and accelerate the learning process. Everything is correct when I can see his behavior, win or lose, how he handles himself or how he speaks to the media.Korda, a 6-foot-5, 170-pound Korda, was working hard on the Challenger Tour just before the coronavirus ended play worldwide. He has seen a surge in the last 11 months.O'Shannessy stated, "When you look at the prototype for the modern player, you start with Novak, and this slender and tall build. You can become more restricted in your movement around the court as you grow taller, but that's not how modern tennis works. Being tall and thin means you are quick. It doesn't matter how much muscle you have -- long levers can give you all the power and speed you need. Korda has the perfect body to play tennis today.Gilbert says Korda's game only needs one more piece. "Korda is easy on the eyes. He is very relaxed and takes care of himself well. He doesn't yet have a big serve for his size," he stated, emphasizing the last sentence. "At 6-5 it seems almost a sin to not have a large serve, especially if you are a big man." He can learn a bomb serve and be 185-190 pounds by 23-24.O'Shannessy and Gilbert both believe in the theory of rising tides and cycles. Gilbert stated that these things are cyclical. It helps if you have four to six or seven guys [rising up in the rankings] at the same time."O'Shannessy said, "There is a natural process that occurs." They come in waves when they meet good players. They can practice together and push each others; they also have competition to see who is the best. It is hoped that Korda's rise would propel both the Opelka/Fritz/Paul/Tiafoe classes and other young people like Jenson Brooksby (20 years old), a Gilbert favorite. He plays a lot like Andy Murray -- defends unbelievably and is unbelievably fast at 6-4.It was clear that Korda still needs to acquire some experience after his Wimbledon defeat to Khachanov. After winning 17 of his 20 first-serve games, he became cautious and served too safe. He won only 35% of the first-serve points, and he was also broken seven times. He broke Khachanov six more times and nearly won a victory, but fatigue, errors, and frustration cost him the win, 10-8 in his fifth. It takes time to develop.Korda brings momentum and confidence to the ATP's hard court swing. The coming months could be a positive thing for many young Americans who consider it their best surface. Brooksby and Korda are both well-positioned in Race to Milan, the 21-and under competition that will culminate in December's Eight-Man Next Generation ATP Finals.In 2018, Jannik Sinner and Stefanos Tsitsipas used the competition as a platform. However, in the three previous years, only four Americans qualified for the competition -- Jared Donaldson and Fritz in 2017, Tiafoe and Fritz in 2018, and 2019. They went a combined 4-9. Before heading to Wimbledon, Korda was ranked third in points, Brooksby seventh, and Brandon Nakashima, 19, 11th.Gilbert stated, "I feel more optimistic than I was two years ago." "Our stock is rising. Korda could become our first young top-ranked guy for a while."All the years that have passed us don't count. It's about what we can do to move ahead.
