Who will carry the flag for the American women in 2007?

Click here for a roundtable discussion on the state of the American game

By Richard Vach
Photo by John G. Mabanglo/AFP Getty

The explosion of Russian women on tour can be traced back to the popularity of the first Russian marketing machine, Anna Kournikova, who spawned Maria Sharapova and the host of other “ovas” who have taken over the women’s game.

Role models are important, no matter what your country of origin. As it was written in the beginning of the U.S. Slam-winning annals, Billie Jean and Chrissie begat Tracy, who adopted Martina, who begat Jennifer, who adopted Monica, who begat Lindsay and the Williams sisters, who . . . retired? The question for 2007 could be, without top players to inspire, can U.S. women’s tennis experience a resurgence simply from the ghosts of champions past?

From a top-player perspective, U.S. women’s tennis has come to a screeching halt entering 2007. Lindsay Davenport has said that 2007 will be her last season if she doesn't already announce her retirement by the Australian Open. Of the ever-injured Williams sisters, Venus is looking at a possible wrist surgery, and Serena is beset by chronic knee and ankle problems following knee surgery. And behind them? Not a player in the Top 30.

The last 31 years since 1975, the year of the inception of the WTA tour rankings, have seen American players dominate the Top 10. In the golden 1980s, Americans comprised half or more of the year-end Top 10 players from 1980 to ’85, and again in 1988. The rise of Davenport and the Williams sisters brought about an American resurgence in the late ’90s, and in 2001 the U.S. again ended the year with five in the elite Top 10.

The death knell for U.S. women's tennis was first rung in January 2005, to little fanfare, when Jennifer Capriati underwent shoulder surgery. That year the U.S. finished with only two players in the Top 10, tying the lowest-ever U.S. tally.

In 2006, the U.S. women will finish with zero.

“That's tough for you guys,” says world No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo. “It is definitely maybe something wrong in the way, I don’t know what is going on in the way of the USTA finding the next kid . . . . You have basketball, baseball, you have a lot of other sports and tennis is suffering right now. We suffered in Europe a couple of years ago, it is much better now. It is difficult to produce champions decade after decade. You guys were lucky for 30 or 40 years.”

Whether through luck or a restructuring of the many mechanizations of the USTA development programs, U.S. women’s tennis is in dire need of champions.

“We are clearly entering a more competitive environment for developing world-class tennis players,” says USTA President Franklin Johnson, failing to back down as his organization continues to come under fire. “It is our responsibility as the national governing body of the sport to build the next generation of U.S. champions.”

Serena Williams, who dropped out of the Top 100 in 2006 after playing only three events prior to the U.S. Open, is of the mind that like herself and sister Venus, champions will appear when you least expect them.

“There’s someone out there who’s working at it right now,” says Serena, who with Venus rose out of the mean streets of Compton, Calif., under the tutelage of their father. “I don’t know where they are. I don’t know who they are. They’re gonna come up and they’re gonna be U.S. Open champ one day.”

Outside of Davenport, the Williams sisters, and the U.S. wild cards at the 2006 U.S. Open, only eight American players were granted direct entry into the main draw. Of the 15 American women in the qualifying, none survived to the main draw. Russian and European players are swamping the WTA draws, and by many accounts are hungrier and working harder than American players.

Shenay Perry and Laura Granville ranked No. 40 and 56, respectively, entering the U.S. Open, heading the field of next-gen players looking to close the U.S. top-player gap before Davenport and the Williams sisters hang up their racquets. Here is a look at another five who hope to keep the American dream alive in 2007:

JAMEA JACKSON
2006 U.S. Open Ranking: No. 57
Age: 20
2006 U.S .Open Result: Lost in 2nd round to Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 6-2
Is U.S. women's tennis in trouble? “I think we going to be fine.”
On the USTA: “From a young age, like 10 or 11, I would go to the USTA camps. They helped me out financially a little bit. I don’t work with them too much anymore but when I was coming up they were great to me.”
Are European players hungrier? “I don’t think that’s true. I think tennis in general is a more global sport than it used to be so you’re going to see a lot of different players from different places.”
Note: Beat Maria Sharapova en route to her first tour final, on grass at Birmingham in June, and made her Fed Cup debut for the U.S. in 2006.

VANIA KING
2006 U.S. Open Ranking: No. 70
Age: 17
2006 U.S. Open Result: Lost in second round to Justine Henin-Hardenne 6-1, 6-2
Is U.S. women’s tennis in trouble? “I think it all starts with the players themselves. A lot of players are getting used to an easy lifestyle and we really don’t want to work hard. A lot of the players don’t really have that mentality—it all starts with the players.”
On the USTA: “I think the USTA is doing a good job of working with the programs and the girls. My coach Ray Ruffels is from the USTA, he has helped me tremendously.”
Are European players hungrier? “Yes . . . I base it on my personal experience and traveling on the tour. I work at the Carson Center and I see a lot of juniors there, I’ve seen the mentality of the other girls on the tour that have ‘made it.’ There is a difference in drive. Maybe when they get older and mature they will want it more. I never realized my opportunity until it was almost too late.”
Note: Bouts with leg injuries and cramping held her back in 2006, but she made a late-season charge to win her first WTA singles title in Bangkok in October.

AHSHA ROLLE
2006 U.S. Open Ranking: No. 148
Age: 21
2006 U.S. Open Result: Lost first round to Alona Bondarenko 6-4, 6-4
Is U.S. women’s tennis in trouble? “I don’t think it’s in trouble. I think it’s beginning to come up. I think there are a lot of countries where the girls are coming up and we get compared to that.”
On the USTA: “I’ve been in the High Performance Development team for one year. The fitness stuff is really good, my coaching is really good, I practice with great players. Yeah, I think the USTA is OK, they’re doing their job.”
Are European players hungrier? “I probably agree with that. I think the Europeans are hungrier because they come from nothing.”
Note: The serve-and-volley–loving Floridian is coached by Lori McNeil.

ALEXA GLATCH
2006 U.S. Open Ranking: No. 323
Age: 17
2006 U.S. Open Result: Lost in first round to Jarmila Gajdsova 6-2, 6-1
Is U.S. women’s tennis in trouble? “No. There’s a lot of talk, but there’s a lot of Americans in the Top 100, it’s just a matter of time.”
On the USTA: “I don’t really work with them. They help out any way they can but I don’t work with them. I have my own coaches, they offer coaching and stuff but I kind of have my own people.”
Are European players hungrier? “In a way I agree with that. The Europeans, they’re a lot more intense out there. They’re fighting to get out of the country and make it. Some of us Americans are a little bit spoiled I think. We’re sitting nice in our nice house, on the beach or whatever, and they have a little more on the line.”
Note: The all-court player won her first pro event at the ITF/Fort Worth, Texas, Satellite event in June.

LAUREN ALBANESE
2006 U.S. Open Ranking: No. 650
Age: 17
2006 U.S. Open Result: Lost in second round to Svetlana Kuznetsona 6-1, 6-1
Is U.S. women’s tennis in trouble? “I think we have some players coming along, we’ve had some great players like the Williams sisters and [Jennifer] Capriati. It’s kind of hard to match up to that. I think in the coming years we’ll start to have a presence.”
On the USTA: “The USTA is trying to help all us younger pros break out on the WTA. They’ve helped me a lot, I’ve been to the camps and been on some trips with them, the coaches really try to work together to make you successful. It’s a good relationship.”
Are European players hungrier? “I think its comes from within yourself, and not everyone is going to have the desire to be the best. I think we’ll come along. It just might take a little longer than the other countries.”
Note: Gained a U.S. Open wild card as the U.S. Girls’ 18s National Champion in 2006.