Are the American men professional tennis players, or are they speciality court players? They can’t play on clay, or can they?  Do they put in the hard work, dedication and patience it takes to win the French Open? Can they only win on the hard courts?  Can they ever win a major -  period?

Well, from what I saw of James Blake the other day, the answer is NO! When I watched, Blake basically handed Ernests Gulbis the match, I wanted to cry but at the same time I became angry.  I’m not picking on Blake, but I have said this once and will say it again; unless he rethinks his coaching options he will never win a major. 

Blake needs a new coach. He is the No.8 player in the world and there is no reason he shouldn’t be a contender in the major events. He needs to take a page out of Andy Roddick’s book and move on, when you see a coach is not working for you, i.e. Jimmy Connors.   

'Out of 19 American singles players entered into this year's French Open - and I’ve included the women - only five remain'


All we hear is that the Americans can’t adapt to play on clay. Well, are they considered professional players? If they are professionals they should be able to master any surface. 

Take Rafael Nadal. He didn’t grow up playing on grass but he trains and prepares himself to make it to the finals at Wimbledon. American men want to hit hard and play fast. That’s good but, you must develop patience in order to survive on the clay court.

Out of 19 American singles players entered into this year's French Open - and I’ve included the women - only five remain. And we've only reached day six. Can the American men step up to the base line and win a major?  Any major would be good.

America has two Top 10 players but neither one seem to be capable of winning a major. I know it’s been said that Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal are unstoppable, but can the Americans at least make it to a semi-final match? I’m not asking for a final, although that would be nice. The state of American tennis is frightening. 

Having said all that, there is a new American on the scene, Wayne Odesnik, who I have enjoyed watching. He has taken out out Guillermo Canas and Hyung-Taik Lee so far. Odesnik is a breath of fresh air.

He’s patient, seems to have a level head and the mind set that he can actually win on clay. I hope he continues his run at Roland Garros, but if he lives up to the standard that has been set by the top two American players, he will be watching Nadal and Federer like the rest of us on Championship Sunday.

I’m so disappointed with my American male tennis players. I miss the days of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. At least they played their hearts out at the French Open and all other majors.