Americans head home early at Wimbledon
By The Washington Post
WIMBLEDON, England - Shenay Perry couldn't pinpoint why she was wracked with nerves Monday at Wimbledon, struggling to land a first serve and place a forehand during her fourth-round match against Elena Dementieva. There were simply too many factors at play: her seventh-seeded opponent; the standing-room only crowd; the quarterfinal berth at stake; and, of course, the fact that she was the last American standing in the world's most important tournament.
As the sport's 62nd ranked woman, it had been her career achievement to reach Wimbledon's fourth round. And although Perry was brushed aside in 54 minutes, falling to Dementieva, 6-2, 6-0, she sought to accentuate the positives afterward. “I'm glad with what I accomplished,” said Perry, 21, a Washington native. “I'm not holding my head down because I was too nervous to play a fourth-round Wimbledon match.”
Given the U.S. delegation's higher-profile losses - as Andy Roddick, James Blake and Venus Williams preceded her out the door - Perry's defeat became an occasion for dissecting the country's tennis shortcomings. The topic clearly made her uneasy. “I have no comment on that,” she said.
But elsewhere on the tournament grounds everyone buzzed about the fact that no American had advanced to Wimbledon's quarterfinals for the first time since 1922.
Switzerland's Roger Federer called it “quite a disappointment” - and not just because two of his last three Wimbledon titles have come at Roddick's expense.
“We know that it can happen at the French Open, but now, seeing that it is happening in Wimbledon is obviously a bit of a surprise,” said Federer, who has yet to lose a set. “It's disappointing because I like seeing the Americans going far. They've had a great history. I hope it's going to be better for them at the U.S. Open.”
Former U.S. Davis Cup captain Donald Dell interpreted the dismal showing as the result of two factors: The fact that tennis has exploded throughout the world (particularly in Russia and Eastern Europe); and the fact that American youngsters have so many opportunities to play other sports.
“We're in competition in America with all of our other sports,” Dell said, “and tennis isn't attracting necessarily the best young athletes. It's not because of money; it's because they have other choices. The team sports are still dominating, and we're not attracting our share of the 12-year-olds.”
Among Wimbledon's 16 male and female quarterfinalists this year, Australia's Lleyton Hewitt is the sole native English speaker. Tuesday's women's quarterfinals will feature three Russians, two Belgians and one player each from France, China and Japan. That represents a sea change for American women, who claimed 22 of the 38 Wimbledon singles titles awarded in the sport's Open Era (since 1968).
The U.S. women's ranks were thin to start this year, with former champions Serena Williams and Lindsay Davenport withdrawing because of injury. That left Venus Williams the sole American among 32 women seeded.
To some extent the fact that American tennis is struggling has been obscured by achievements of one family - the Williams. Since 1999 sisters Venus and Serena have combined for 12 Grand Slam event titles. With Davenport nearing retirement and the sisters competing sporadically, the women's game is looking for its next generation.
Perry is hopeful she'll be in the mix, having learned from her experience Monday. Normally a strong server, she landed just 53 percent of her first serves against Dementieva and was broken six times. She also struggled to find her range from the baseline, hitting six winners while committing 24 unforced errors.
“After this trip I feel like I can play with some of the top girls,” Perry said. “Obviously didn't show it today. But in my mind I really don't care what anybody else thinks. I feel like I'm making progress, so that's all that really counts now.”
WIMBLEDON, England - Shenay Perry couldn't pinpoint why she was wracked with nerves Monday at Wimbledon, struggling to land a first serve and place a forehand during her fourth-round match against Elena Dementieva. There were simply too many factors at play: her seventh-seeded opponent; the standing-room only crowd; the quarterfinal berth at stake; and, of course, the fact that she was the last American standing in the world's most important tournament.
As the sport's 62nd ranked woman, it had been her career achievement to reach Wimbledon's fourth round. And although Perry was brushed aside in 54 minutes, falling to Dementieva, 6-2, 6-0, she sought to accentuate the positives afterward. “I'm glad with what I accomplished,” said Perry, 21, a Washington native. “I'm not holding my head down because I was too nervous to play a fourth-round Wimbledon match.”
Given the U.S. delegation's higher-profile losses - as Andy Roddick, James Blake and Venus Williams preceded her out the door - Perry's defeat became an occasion for dissecting the country's tennis shortcomings. The topic clearly made her uneasy. “I have no comment on that,” she said.
But elsewhere on the tournament grounds everyone buzzed about the fact that no American had advanced to Wimbledon's quarterfinals for the first time since 1922.
Switzerland's Roger Federer called it “quite a disappointment” - and not just because two of his last three Wimbledon titles have come at Roddick's expense.
“We know that it can happen at the French Open, but now, seeing that it is happening in Wimbledon is obviously a bit of a surprise,” said Federer, who has yet to lose a set. “It's disappointing because I like seeing the Americans going far. They've had a great history. I hope it's going to be better for them at the U.S. Open.”
Former U.S. Davis Cup captain Donald Dell interpreted the dismal showing as the result of two factors: The fact that tennis has exploded throughout the world (particularly in Russia and Eastern Europe); and the fact that American youngsters have so many opportunities to play other sports.
“We're in competition in America with all of our other sports,” Dell said, “and tennis isn't attracting necessarily the best young athletes. It's not because of money; it's because they have other choices. The team sports are still dominating, and we're not attracting our share of the 12-year-olds.”
Among Wimbledon's 16 male and female quarterfinalists this year, Australia's Lleyton Hewitt is the sole native English speaker. Tuesday's women's quarterfinals will feature three Russians, two Belgians and one player each from France, China and Japan. That represents a sea change for American women, who claimed 22 of the 38 Wimbledon singles titles awarded in the sport's Open Era (since 1968).
The U.S. women's ranks were thin to start this year, with former champions Serena Williams and Lindsay Davenport withdrawing because of injury. That left Venus Williams the sole American among 32 women seeded.
To some extent the fact that American tennis is struggling has been obscured by achievements of one family - the Williams. Since 1999 sisters Venus and Serena have combined for 12 Grand Slam event titles. With Davenport nearing retirement and the sisters competing sporadically, the women's game is looking for its next generation.
Perry is hopeful she'll be in the mix, having learned from her experience Monday. Normally a strong server, she landed just 53 percent of her first serves against Dementieva and was broken six times. She also struggled to find her range from the baseline, hitting six winners while committing 24 unforced errors.
“After this trip I feel like I can play with some of the top girls,” Perry said. “Obviously didn't show it today. But in my mind I really don't care what anybody else thinks. I feel like I'm making progress, so that's all that really counts now.”