Too many other sports choices have contributed to the downfall in American Men's tennis. Roddick was good but his career won't leave a lasting impression. Would never be considered in the same breath as a McEnroe, Connors, Sampras and Agassi. Now we have Fish, Isner, Young and Querry. Wimbledon has a nice surprise with Baker but maybe a one hit wonder. Europeans just have better development programs than we do. Sad to see.

It won't be on clay so the French is out. I think only an outside chance at one, and it would have to be Wimbledon. Great Champion, but his time is running out.

All 4 ? He will be pressed to win 1 in 2011. Federer is no where near as dominant as he once was. Nadal and Djokovic will be the odds on favorites to win the slams. Roger is one of if the the greatest of all time but his time and come and he is now human.

Agreed. American men's tennis does not have a monopoly on the downfall. Amercian women's tennis is also in peril. Yesterday in the women's equivalent to the Davis Cup, we lost our two singles matches to Germany in straight sets. 10 years ago, this would have NEVER happened. Who was playing for us? Oudin and an 18 year old who I had never heard of. We lost to two low ranked Germans relatively easily. American professional tennis is not gender specific. It's a problem and the points above are the basis for the decline. Nice job Robert.

I be looking forward to what they say !

No loss with Manny gone. Always took the easy way out. Oh, I'm guilty again, 100 game suspension? I'll just retire with my Bosox, Dodger, and Tampa Bay money. Hopefully TB had some kind of character clause in their contract so they didn't take too big a hit.

Jimmer is absolutely correct. Mr. Lambert, its NOT news and THAT is why it's not getting major coverage that you think it should. These are common phrases used by all. Calm down, there are plenty of issues out there that you can freak out about. This isn't one of them.

Absolutely. It doesn't matter if its at a critical point, set point, match point etc. A foot fault if not called gives an unfair advantage to the server. He or she has inched closer which produces an advantage. I think I'd be okay with a review of the footfault in question, say once a match challenge or something like that to make sure they got it right. If they don't implement such a rule, then the call stands!

I think you make some great points here. He is definitely done the best job of making the jump from F1 cars to NASCAR. I think its premature though to think that he is that much more than a "good journeyman driver". Two wins in about 4 years? Not exactly setting the world on fire but still respectable. The knock on Juan Pablo may be his attitude. He blames everyone except himself when on the radio during races. He's struggling I believe with the reality that while a "force" on the F1 cirucuit, he just one of the guys in NASCAR. He runs up front here and there but I believe the media would be more engaging to him if he acted more approachable.

Exactly, I'm a huge flag waiver but I agree that Americans hoisting championship trophies or running around with our flag after winning the Davis Cup may not be in the near future. Very sad. ( Great insight on your part Robert )

Robert, interesting insight which is very true and I haven't thought about this in a while. I did see where Mardy Fish just passed Roddick as the top American male. And who is coming up? Querry, Isner? If they were going to do something, they would have by now. Respectable players but American threats to return to dominance? Not even close. On the women's side, the Williams sisters can still be a threat but their bests days has passed as well. Oudin?? Cute kid with some decent results but doesn't have the power game to hold off the big names ( Wozniaki etc. sp? ) I remember when we would have 4-5 Americans in the top 10 at all times, males and female. So what is the reason? Is it because lack of player development and commitment by the USTA? When was the last time Bolliteri or Landsdorp had a serious prospect? 5 years?, 10 years? Is it because the serve and volley game is all but obsolete and the rest of the world usually plays on slower surfaces and rely on solid back court games? Isner, Roddick and Querry all rely on monster serves to do well with mediocre back court games. Maybe we haven't evolved with the way the game is now. Also, the Russians and slavic countries have much fewer opportunities to make a living in sports than us. Outside of tennis and of course soccer, what do they have? We have football, baseball, basketball, and lower tiers such as Nascar, rodeo etc. With that considered, they take their top athletic talent and develop them in tennis. Our top athletes are playing CONTRACT sports where they still get paid regardless of their consistent performance ( at least for a while ). Tennis players get paid and endorsements if they WIN, pure and simple. This is a long winded answer to say I think that we have too many other athletic possibilities versus other countries. There focus is there and they development has shown success. Tennis is just one of many routes here in the U.S. I know that this has always been the case but U.S. tennis development doesn't seem to be as critical as its once was.

Nice job Robert, you are right on target here. I even get the Tennis Channel and I didn't see coverage here.

Good thread but I wish we didn't have to throw "incentives" at the players to get them to play. Davis Cup is tennis in its purest form. Talent vs. Talent, country vs. country, etc. No big pay checks, endorsements etc. Our best vs. their best. Unfortunately, the almighty dollar keeps many big names away. John McEnroe was always there for his country when they called. Connors and even Agassi were always hit and miss from paly DC. Next to the Olympics , its true sport and a joy to watch. Hopefully folks will remember that and keep the traditon.

Tough one. Both have the rings, MVPs, both the "go to" guys with the game on the line , etc. etc. But, following the instructions in your begining thread and ignoring stats/accomplishments, I would say Jordan. ( and I'm a Laker fan ). By the smallest of margins.

Surprising enough , she only had a 43-37 edge in head to head matches with Evert. Last I heard, Martina tested cancer free after treatment for breast cancer. But this was a couple months ago.

Evert vs. Navratilova has be considered as one of if not the greatest rivalry of all time in tennis.

Sharapova will not win any more majors. Federer could win but Djokovic is pushing to be the next dominant male. Murray is an outside threat if he's healthy.

Jr. is a great guy but way overrated. Has the best equipment with Hendrick and is the weakest driver. May not ever make the chase again even if he stays. If he leaves, they won't sell as many t shirts because his popularity is huge. The racing won't miss a beat because he is rarely up front anyway.

God bless Nascar ! ( and Hendrick Motor Sports )

I dont agree, it was a legitmate pass. He had the better car and was bound to run Kyle down . It's just racing. Kyle of all people would have done the same thing. Stewart would have probably put someone in the wall to win !

Great win for the kid ! I think it will create a needed adrenaline shot for NASCAR. Trevor is articulate , inteviews well and will appeal to the younger fan. WAY to early to crown him the next Johnson or Gordon. Didn't do to well this afternoon at Phoenix. Joey Logano is still probably the next hope but even his development is slowing down.