The U.S. Tennis Association and Patrick McEnroe, its head of player development, are finalizing details on a new $50 million push to teach tennis The Canada Way.OK, maybe not. I just made that up.
But the new buzz in tennis is 20-year old Milos Raonic (right), who hadn't done much in the minor leagues, wasn't a great junior and, most amazing of all, is from Canada.
So now, the U.S., with tons of money, cannot even develop players as well as Canada? What next? Iceland?
Well, Andy Roddick, the face of U.S. men's tennis, saved U.S. tennis' face Sunday, diving for a forehand passing shot, probably the best shot of his life, to beat Raonic in the finals in Memphis, 7-6, 6-7, 7-5. It was a fairly big moment for Roddick, holding off the leader of the next generation.
But Raonic has stolen tennis since the Australian Open. It's always thrilling to see the sudden emergence of the Next Big Thing. You think of it as a process, a development, a step-by-step to the mountaintop. Raonic just appeared with a 150 mph serve and the face and body of a 14-year-old. Well, a 6-foot-5 14-year old.
How was everyone beating him way back in, say, August?
Source: http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2011/02/21/made-in-the-usa-not-milos-raonic/
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