Tag Archives: Donald Young

September 9, 2011

U.S. OPEN: Fairy Tale Over, Donald Young Makes a Real Move

By gregcouch

Donald Young

From my column in FoxSports.com:

 

John McEnroe ruined Donald Young. Young’s parents ruined Donald Young. His own bad, lazy attitude ruined him. His agent, IMG? Ruined him. The media: Ruined him. The U.S. Tennis Association?

Ruined Donald Young.

Young has been a study in all the different ways to screw up an American tennis phenom. He was supposed to be tennis’ Tiger Woods. By 2007, The New York Times dubbed him a failure with a story in its Sunday magazine entitled: “Prodigy’s End.”

He was 17 at the time.

But the last, last, last straw didn’t come until this spring, when things dropped so far that Young wrote on his Twitter account: “F— USTA” and they’re “full of s—.” Only he didn’t use dashes.

So it’s a little hard to figure out how Young, now 22, is the story of this year’s US Open, after Serena Williams that is. He has beaten two seeded players to reach the fourth round, the final 16. He beat Stan Wawrinka in a classic fifth-set tiebreaker, tennis’ ultimate test of mind, body and guts. Tuesday, he’s scheduled to play No. 4 Andy Murray for a spot in the quarterfinals.

“Everybody’s light comes on at their own time,” Young said. “Hopefully, mine is coming on now.”

These phenom stories are all mapped out. Either a sudden emergence, or a straight arrow to the top. Anything less is how a 17-year old winds up being labeled a failure.

There has always been too much reality in Donald Young’s fairy tale. Is it possible to take all the wrong steps to the mountaintop?

Please read the rest of this column on FoxSports.com

1 comment   |  tags: , | posted in Donald Young, US Open, US tennis

August 6, 2011

A Prodigy Replaced: Donald Young Finds Motivation and Rivalry, Thanks to Success of Ryan Harrison

By gregcouch

Donald Young having his moment?

Sometimes, it’s just the moment. Or maybe it was just time for it to happen. There can be a point when it all just comes together, and who really knows why. Well, I think I know why it’s happening to Donald Young right now, and what set it off.

Tennis waited so long for Young that it finally gave up. Now, as a failed prodigy, he’s in his first tour-level semifinal, at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington. He beat No. 26 Marcos Baghdatis Friday and should beat Radek Stepanek today to reach the final.

“I feel everybody clicks at their own time,’’ Young said. “The light comes on in everybody’s due time.’’

What made Young’s light come on? Two words:

Ryan Harrison. Continue reading

1 comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in Donald Young, Ryan Harrison, US tennis, USTA

April 28, 2011

How Not to Develop a Prodigy, Part III: Patrick McEnroe Gets His Apology, Makes Donald Young Dance. Now What?

By gregcouch

Donald Young

So Patrick McEnroe has Donald Young’s apology. He and the USTA have Young’s  words of appreciation for what they’ve done. And now, we forgive and forget.

Everyone loves a happy ending. Everyone loves a smiley face.

Young had a temper tantrum. McEnroe’s little feelings were hurt. It’s all over.

And how do things move forward? They go back.

Same spot they were before. And by that, I mean they go back to a relationship so bitter between aging prodigy and governing body that it can’t keep from bubbling over, out into the public.

What an amazing fail. Young was hyped from the age of 10, way before you can tell anything about the future of a male tennis player. But he was sold as tennis’ Tiger Woods. Instead tennis’ Tiger wrote on his Twitter account Friday, “FU—USTA!’’ He wrote that the USTA is “full of shi—! They have screwed me for the last time!’’

Now, Young has apologized. But what could have been a constructive, learning moment over the past few days turned instead into a little superfluous spat. By not doing the hard work that could go to mend this relationship, both sides, basically, are just trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube.

Not possible.

“Basically, I want to just apologize for what I said and the way I said it,’’ Young told the Associated Press on Tuesday. “It wasn’t the right way to say it, at all. I appreciate the USTA’s support over the years. It helped me out a lot.’’

That was an excellent apology, but Young was forced into it. McEnroe made Young dance by appealing to the public to apply pressure. That’s all that was accomplished. Young had to dance because he needs the USTA. The USTA, meanwhile, continues down a path with a zero success rate, not realizing how much of its reputation hinges on Young. Continue reading

3 comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Donald Young, Patrick McEnroe, US tennis, USTA

April 26, 2011

How Not to Develop a Prodigy, Part II: Patrick McEnroe Rips Entitlement of Donald Young, U.S. Youth (Forgets Where it Came from)

By gregcouch

Donald Young

I agree with Patrick McEnroe that today’s kids have a ridiculous sense of entitlement. In my opinion, especially with star athletes, it comes when you treat kids like rock stars, build them up too much. They are used to having things taken care of for them. You just focus on your greatness, we’ll deal with everything else. We’ll resolve your problems.

So they don’t live a normal childhood and then don’t know how to behave normally as adults. They have no practice at solving problems.

Donald Young has a ridiculous sense of entitlement.

Maybe that led to his profane outburst on Twitter Friday, when he wrote, “Fu—USTA!!’’ They’re “full of sh–!’’ Or, maybe not. That’s just McEnroe’s side of the story, that Young was upset he wasn’t handed a wildcard, a free pass, into the French Open. He didn’t want to play the six-person tournament the USTA had set up first. We still haven’t heard Young’s side of things.

Where are you Donald?

But let’s just take McEnroe’s word for now. He is frustrated, and had a teleconference Monday to talk about it, saying several things such as this: “You have to earn your way to get something.’’

It was a shot directed straight at Young. The problem was it wasn’t pointed the right way.

Don’t blame children for feeling entitled. It’s the adults. The kids aren’t born with an attitude problem, but have a lack of maturity, and also faulty teaching about compassion and empathy. Rock stars don’t need those things.

For example, imagine this: A sports agency and one of the greatest, and most popular tennis players of all time, get together to concoct a story that turns some 10-year old kid into The Chosen One. Turns him into tennis’ Tiger Woods. All he hears for years is that he’s the greatest. He can’t miss. And then, as a kid, he gets wildcard entries into pro events, where he can be crushed regularly, but everyone can ogle him. That, of course, interests Nike.

Meanwhile, the USTA pushes him as The Next Great Thing.

Well, we don’t have to imagine that, do we? That is Donald Young’s story. The USTA sold him – to us and to him and to his family—as the next great thing. Now, Patrick McEnroe, of the USTA, speaks out against his sense of entitlement? Of course he has a sense of entitlement. Continue reading

1 comment   |  tags: , , | posted in Donald Young, Patrick McEnroe, US tennis, USTA

April 25, 2011

How Not to Develop a Prodigy: Donald Young Tweets “Fu– USTA.” Will USTA Dump Him?

By gregcouch

Patrick McEnroe

Donald Young

At this point, I wonder if the USTA will just cut ties with Donald Young. This could be its big chance to get rid of its biggest headache. And in some ways, that might be best for both sides. A nightmare relationship between prodigy and governing body hit an unbelievable depth Friday when Young wrote this on his Twitter account:

“Fu– USTA!! Their full of sh–! They have screwed me for the last time!’’

Only he didn’t shorten the words to keep them clean enough for publication. (Yes, he wrote “Their’’ instead of “They’re’’).

You just can’t write that, uh, stuff. You can disagree. You can point out that they are bullying you, that they are favoring others over you, that they are lying to you. Young and his parents, who coach him, have accused the USTA of all of those things over the years. But you can’t say Fu—them. Not publicly. Every line was stepped over, stomped on, spit on. That said, my first reaction was that Young is wrong:

The USTA will absolutely screw him again.

No matter how this thing is portrayed, no matter how the USTA tries to put this all on Young – today, Patrick McEnroe, head of USTA’s player development, will have a teleconference – this is a two-sided coin.

And the USTA had better be very careful. Let me put it bluntly: In a sport that has a history of being extremely white, it’s bad enough that the USTA can’t get along with one of the only black players to actually come through its system. It gets worse if that means all effort and hope are given instead to Ryan Harrison, a white kid from the south. That’s assuming Harrison’s relationship with the USTA is still solid.

And I’m not sure it is.

But the Young family is already looking at Harrison and making comparisons, wondering about special treatment. “Look at who gets all the wildcards (free and automatic entries into tournaments),’’ someone close to Young told me recently.

What an amazing run this has been for Young and the USTA, an amazing run of failure. It is not just a story of a failed kid, but also a failed governing body.

They have failed each other, failed themselves, failed you and me and the tennis world. At this point, Young and the USTA both look like losers. You want to pick sides? Go ahead.

This is the story of how not to develop a prodigy. He has been fumbled and mishandled by his own parents, by the USTA, by agents and by a hype machine that started with John McEnroe. Plus, Young has mishandled himself.

And what did we get? Not the savior of U.S. tennis, that’s for sure. Not a good-looking black kid from inner-city Chicago providing an unbelievable, once-in-a-lifetime boost to a game that could have used him. Continue reading

5 comments   |  tags: , | posted in Donald Young, Patrick McEnroe, US tennis, USTA

March 15, 2011

With Sampras, Courier Pushing This `Princess,’ Donald Young has Big Moment. What will he do with it?

By gregcouch

A few months ago, Pete Sampras was beating Donald Young in a groundstroke game, of all things, and trash-talking. Repeat: Young, a 21-year old groundstroker and one-time hope of American tennis, was losing to a nearly 40-year old legend at what should be the worst part of his game.

“He calls me `Princess,’ ’’ Young said. “And he talks a lot of stuff. . .I didn’t know whether to take it seriously or not.’’

Take it seriously, Donald. Sampras was joking, but the best jokes carry some truth with them.

Young was the talk of the first week at Indian Wells after his breakthrough win over Andy Murray, 7-5, 6-3. For the first time, we were able to see Young at the top level of tennis, fighting as if he belongs.

So where does Donald Young stand now? What does he take from Indian Wells?

Think about this: We have been hearing about him for years, but this was the first time it was for beating somebody.

Continue reading

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January 18, 2011

Who to Blame for Failed Prodigy Donald Young? Start with John McEnroe

By gregcouch

My column on AOL Fanhouse

The legend of Donald Young is that it all started when a 10-year-old ball boy at a senior tennis tournament in Chicago asked John McEnroe if he would hit tennis balls for a few minutes. McEnroe agreed. They hit, and McEnroe was so shocked at how good the kid was that he went straight to his cell phone, called his agent at IMG and told him to sign Young.

What a story! It tells of a selfless legend, but even more so offers hope that we might be discovered someday, or our children might be. Also, it suggests that Average Joes walking the streets might have greatness.

Count me as a former believer of that story. Now, I’m hearing the story debunked, that maybe IMG had already spotted Young, a marketing dream. Young was a good-looking black kid from a huge inner city, a city with loads of potential corporate sponsors, playing a traditionally white, suburban sport. Could he be the men’s version of the Williams’ sisters?

And maybe IMG asked McEnroe to hit with Young, staging the whole legend.

Donald Young has had enough staging, enough agents, enough John McEnroe.

Way more than enough John McEnroe.

This is the story about a prodigy lost. And there is enough blame to spread all over the place on Young. McEnroe gets my vote for the biggest share, over-hyping him, pressuring him, and getting people to believe too much, too soon. Was it all a marketing plan? Continue reading

2 comments   |  tags: , | posted in Australian Open

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