It's been unofficial for months, but the USTA has finally inked an agreement with the Evert Tennis Academy to serve as the replacement for the Key Biscayne traiing facility and High Performance National Headquarters. The press release on usta.com features upbeat quotes from Chris Evert, Franklin Johnson and Paul Roetert, and some numbers that tout the 2005 success of U.S. juniors, but the need for a new approach is emphasized by the recent Wimbledon results. Not only did no U.S. professionals make the second week of singles, but it was the third consecutive Grand Slam without a U.S. junior making the quarterfinals.
I think onsite housing and the predominance of clay courts are reasons to be encouraged by the move but with no dollar amounts being revealed it is difficult to assess the cost/benefit equation. No one will complain if there are tangible, quantifiable results, but that's a big if.
On Tennis Week's website there's a different perspective on this announcement and their story features some very interesting comments from Billie Jean King. One quote however, puzzled me.
"Our kids do not want to practice or even play against each other. That is ludicrous," King said. "I don't know where that started. It must be the coaches and the parents. But get over it. You've got to compete. And if you don't like it, tough, then you shouldn't want to be a professional player."
I'm not sure what kids she's talking about. Obviously, the players I know and see at tournaments (and their parents) do want to compete, or they wouldn't go to the considerable expense of travelling all over the country (and world) to do so. And I also hear of plenty of juniors who want desperately to be invited to train and practice with other nationally ranked players at the USTA training centers. Do any of you know who these juniors are that refuse to play or train with others?