Don't miss any stories Follow Tennis View

Donald Young’s Spring Awakening

Mar 31st 2017

While the current media news outlets spotlight a certain high-profile New Yorker currently residing in D. C., another Donald is making headlines of his own. In the relatively insular world of men’s professional tennis, the recent resurgence of the American Donald Young trumps Trump.

Greed may be good for Gordon Gecko but for teenage tennis prodigies, it can be catastrophic. The American tennis machine had all but grinded to a halt in 2005. Andy Roddick, the last American man to win a grand slam singles title, had failed to replicate his success at the 2003 US Open while Andre Agassi was nearing the end of his remarkable and fruitful comeback.

Once again impatient and hungry, the beast demanded compensation. At the age of fifteen, Young, the world’s top junior player, was placed upon the proverbial pedestal and compelled to perform. The junior Australian Open and Wimbledon champion would soon succumb to the burdens of unrealistic expectation and overwhelming pressure.

Donald Young

At the start of the 2013 season, at the age of twenty-three, Young’s ranking had plummeted outside the top 200. No longer on the industry’s radar or a part of the discussion, this once highly touted American prodigy was all but forgotten and a top fifty ranking seemed farfetched at best.

Though he will probably never win a grand slam tournament or attain the number one ranking, he and Andy Murray, the current world number one, both began their remarkable transformations during the 2015 season.

Consistency and mental fortitude had long been lacking but the lefty from Atlanta had reached his first final since 2011 and though he lost in straights to Ivo Karlovic, his impressive run at the Delray Beach Open catapulted him back into the conversation.

It would appear he has successfully moved on from his once contentious relationship with the USTA and while he continues to work closely with his parents, he also receives guidance from coaches affiliated with the USTA’s player development program.

Donald Young

He achieved a career-high ranking of thirty-eight in the world in 2012 and has yet to win his first title on the ATP World Tour. On the lush lawns of the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, Rhode Island, Young reached his lone semi-final of the 2016 season. Although he lost in straight sets to Gilles Muller, he finished the season within the top one hundred, ranked 88th in the world.

Just three months into the current season, Young’s ranking has risen to #51 due to his outstanding performances on the hardcourts in Delray Beach, Memphis, Indian Wells and Miami. 

With two semi-final appearances and a win/loss record of 10-5, it seems that everything is coming up roses this spring for Donald Young. At 27 years of age, he may no longer qualify as young let alone nextgen star, but with a thirty-five-year-old named Roger Federer winning a slam and a Masters 1000 event this season, there is nothing old about Donald Young.