Young: real deal, or wasted talent?

Donald Young was beaten 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(8) by Australian journeyman Marinko Matosevic. The American lead 5-2 in the third set tie-breaker but was unable to take advantage and lost the match in two hours and 21 minutes.
As a ball boy at the age of 10, Young had the opportunity to play with tennis legend John McEnroe. McEnroe later said that Young "has hands like another lefty I know very well."

Blessed with powerful ground strokes, great feel and wonderful court coverage, Young was seen as the young man to carry on the United States grand tennis tradition.

Since that time, American tennis fans have closely monitored the progress of their next big hope. In 2005, Young was ranked the number one junior player in the world. He was the youngest male (15 years of age) to win a Junior Grand Slam Event, winning the Australian Open that year.

Huge endorsement deals arose, a larger fan base grew and a heavier media base followed. As a result, tournament directors were desperate to hand Young wildcards to boost their profile and gain a greater interest. In July 2007, Young won the Junior Wimbledon title and shortly after won a Challenger tournament and his ranking quickly rose inside the top 200.
But added to the huge hype became more pressure to perform. Young reached a career high ranking of 73 in 2008, but with his amount of talent, he has had many poor results. Early exits in top tier events left observers claiming Young was pushed too hard, too soon. He was placed in big tournaments even though many thought he hadn't done the hard work necessary to be ready.
Young has been coached his whole life by his parents. Donald Young Sr. is adamant that you grow from playing the best competition. His parents continue to coach him their way, not the established USTA way of going up a level, step by step. Their method is based on the way Richard Williams coaches his daughters, Venus and Serena. Young has been noted as being lethargic and doesn’t hurt enough when suffering a defeat.
The American has played in nine Grand Slam events, his best result was the third round of the 2007 US Open. But the most damning statistic is that Young has been defeated in the first round seven times. His ’08 and ’09 seasons were seen as failures, as he struggled to win even at the challenger level.
He qualified for this year’s Australian Open but was outclassed by hardened professional Lleyton Hewitt in the second round. His ranking currently sits at 145 and until he can learn the importance of fitness and work ethic, the youngster will struggle to win on a regular basis. It would be a shame to see all of that talent remain unfulfilled.
 

Mark Skendaris