American men's tennis is on the rise.
But it could also be something more: a movement.
Those were the words of Donald Young, who, at just 15 years old, has shouldered the honor and burden of being called “the next great American star.”
But that didn't happen. Young, who will play in the U.S. Open mixed doubles semifinals with Taylor Townsend on Tuesday, is preparing to retire from the sport after 20 years, and in an interview with The Washington Post he spoke about a range of topics, including his career, regrets and advice for a new generation of American men.
These American men are on the rise, with five of them ranked in the top 20 for the first time since Feb. 24, 1997: Taylor Fritz (12th), Ben Shelton (13th), Tommy Paul (14th), Sebastian Korda (16th) and Francis Tiafoe (20th).
“I'm excited. I'm so happy,” Young, now 35, told The Post. “They have each other. When you have that many good players, you motivate each other. It's a quiet competition. It's good to see your guys do well, but it also motivates you because you aspire to be like them. It's great. I'm really excited.”
“I love Taylor, I love Francis, I love Tommy. Brandon Nakashima, all these guys are good players. We have Shelton. (Chris) Eubanks is doing well. So I'm really happy for these guys. And now is the time. Opportunities are going to open up. These guys can be great forever… So this is great for these guys and I'm super excited.”
Tiafoe and Fritz met in the U.S. Open quarterfinals on Tuesday night, while Paul lost a hard-fought match to world number one Jannik Sinner on Monday night.
It's a rare atmosphere that Young predicted from a young age.
The kid from South Chicago became the youngest player ever to end the year at No. 1 in the ITF rankings before turning pro at age 15 in 2004. The following year, at 16 years and five months old, he became the youngest player ever to end the year at No. 1 in the junior rankings.
But Young lost his first nine matches on the ATP Tour without winning a set, blunting his enormous potential by rushing too early and reaching a career-high No. 38 in the ATP Rankings despite his mistakes.
“Maybe it was just the pressure. I was having so much fun up until that point. I was a kid, winning, I loved winning, playing against guys my age,” Young said. “Then I was thrown in there playing against 25-year-olds, guys my age now. When you look at it from the other side, there's no way I'm losing to a 14- or 15-year-old.
“In hindsight, it's all pretty clear, but there are things I could have done differently. But on the other hand, it means that at the time, people thought I was doing something special and that it was possible. So it's great that you started, and hopefully you can help other people find a better path or way of doing things.”
That's why Young has been so keen to impart some valuable wisdom: He trained with Fritz in Los Angeles, played doubles with Tiafoe and hosted him at his home, even traveling with him when Eubanks was 15.
“I was happy to be able to impart as much knowledge as I could, and I'm happy. I love seeing Eubanks do well here and win. When he does well, I get as excited as he does,” said Young, who offered some sage advice to the next generation. “Keep your head down and keep listening to the people that really guided you. There are a lot of people that will try to distract you. You've got to keep your head down and stay focused. There's going to be ups and downs, but ride the waves when they come and be really professional, because one day you wake up and you're 30 and if you don't do the right thing, you're going to regret it.”
“Do everything you can, because at the end of the day you can stop and sleep better knowing, 'I tried this, I tried that, I did everything I could,' you can sleep better at night. You can tell if you didn't try hard enough. Every athlete can tell if they didn't give 100 percent. That's the most important thing. And they have great people around them that keep them from having to go through the challenges they go through. It's like a parent saying you shouldn't do this because they've been through it and they don't want you to go through it. Some people learn from the results, but hopefully you don't have to learn from the results. You can take that knowledge and build on it.”
No American has won a Grand Slam title since 2003, before Young turned professional, but Young is confident this generation will change that — maybe in Sunday's final.
“It's coming soon. They're going to break through. A lot of them are doing well and going deep,” Young told the Post. “At some point, if you keep knocking on the door, the door is going to open. So, it's coming. I don't know when, but hopefully it's coming now. But it's coming.”
