Donald is Young—but subtly growing old

The 2012 ATP season became a decrescendo and then an all-out nosedive for Donald Young, the relatively diminutive but crafty southpaw from Atlanta. He had a sterling 2011 campaign by his standards, ducking into the Top 30 in the world, beating Andy Murray at Indian Wells, upsetting Stanislas Wawrinka in the U.S. Open, reaching his first ATP final and signing on with USTA coaching.

Then came the flood. A deluge of errors, but also a return to the primitive normalcy of his parents' tutelage and scope. Young is in the midst of a precipitous slide at present, with 17 straight ATP-level match losses. It's four short of Vince Spadea's record mark for futility, and it's not abating anytime soon, as evidenced by his 6-4, 7-6 defeat to qualifier Jesse Levine in the first round of Cincinnati's Western & Southern Open on Moday.

And yet, stories like Young's are many. Indianapolis-based phenom Brooke Austin, 16 years old and winner of many junior championships and the national girls' under-18 championship in March, a month after turning 16 and more than four months after suffering stress fractures in her foot, has opted out of turning pro in favor of playing college tennis. It's not necessarily a damning move for a potential future pro career but also not an inspiring choice. And the accounts of more previous phenoms, some saddled with the weight of entire nations or families (Jelena Dokic, Mirjana Lucic, dozens more), pour in year after year.

Young should take heart. He's come close in a few desultory three-set losses to notching that coveted victory, the one that will have him cocking his cap to the side with the familiar bravado again, with confidence that is true and even desirable from him, whether one is a fan of his game and his personality or not. He just brought on Roger Smith, who formerly worked with another young American shining star, Sloane Stephens, to assist his parents with his ongoing development.  

Maybe New York City will be Don Young's saving grace, as it has been before. Maybe that's his oasis. Time will tell, and time is short.