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2/15/2012 3:00:00 PM
SAN JOSE - If you want to know just how serious American teenager Ryan Harrison is about becoming a big time player, consider that he actually put a fair amount of pressure on himself to win a dead rubber Davis Cup match against Michael Lammer in Switzerland last weekend. He had heard the chatter about how former No.1 Andy Roddick was handed a similar opportunity back in 2001 against the Swiss, jumped off the bench and won his dead rubber. Two years later, Roddick would win the US Open.
Harrison, 19, has made no bones about his desire to be a top-five player, so even though Mardy Fish, John Isner and Mike Bryan had already shut down the great Roger Federer and the Swiss the two days prior, there was still a large crowd on hand and Harrison wanted to show that not only is he a very good player, but has matured to the point where he can handle difficult environments. He wanted to prove to captain Jim Courier that he can be called upon again.
"Everyone is saying it's a dead rubber, but from my standpoint, you want your captain to trust you in a live pressure filled situation, you want to be able to compete and win in a dead rubber so he can see I can handle a dead rubber and an away match on clay," Harrison told Tennischannel.com. "If I lose that match, there could be some sort of doubt [from Courier], and you don't want to develop doubt in yourself for Davis Cup. It was very important to me."
If Mike Bryan's left-handed twin Bob decides to play the US 's quarterfinal tie against France in early April, it is doubtful that Harrison will make the team again, but one never knows who will be healthy after the long US winter and spring hard-court stretch, so his selection remains a possibility.
But even if he does not get called on for that tie, he will be in the mix in the coming years, as might two other 19 year olds with top 10 hopes, Jack Sock and Denis Kudla. All of them are in San Jose this week for the SAP Open and on Tuesday, Kudla bested Sock 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3 in a tense and entertaining match that pitted two ambitious guys who go way back together to the 12 and unders where they won a gold ball in doubles.
Neither of them has been as highly touted as Harrison has, as Ryan has put up bigger wins in the pros and has also been a player to watch since his teaching pro and former collegiate standout father Pat began to develop him at the John Newcombe Academy, and then later took him to the Nick Bollettieri Academy.
But both Sock and Kudla can play, as evidenced by them reaching the 2010 US Open junior final, which resulted in a win for Sock.
After spending a year grinding in the Futures and Challengers in 2011, Kudla has brought his ranking up to No. 203 ranking He's not that tall, but he's muscular and fast and sports a world-class backhand. He can crack serves at 125 mph and isn't afraid to charge the net.
He qualified for the 2012 Australian Open - not an easy feat for any player - as well as San Jose and will go up against every young US player's role model, Andy Roddick, in San Jose on Wednesday night. He believes he has a shot in that match, as well as thinking he can make a major ranking move this year.
"I feel if I play consistently well all year, I can end the year in the top 50," said Kudla who is coached by the USTA's Diego Moyano. "I played with a lot of top guys in practice and I feel like I am there, but it's having it translate into matches and getting rid of nerves. In practice, I play at a very high level. I don't want to sound cocky, but I don't see too many guys who can handle the ball I hit in practice - it's very hard, deep and into the corners. But it's tougher to do that in matches and I have to show I can do it."
Sock, who won the 2011 US Open mixed doubles title with Melanie Oudin, went undefeated during his high school career in Kansas City and has to be given credit for even continuing to play high school matches when he was so much better than the competition (except for his older brother Eric, whom he defeated in two tight matches).
As Sock said, he and Kudla went different ways as their junior years progressed, with Kudla being home schooled and traveling to play a lot of ITF tournaments and Sock largely staying at home.
"But we ended up more or less in the same place now," Sock said.
Sock is tall, agile, has a big serve and what Kudla says is the best forehand he's faced, a very heavily spun ball that is hard to read. Sock, who is ranked No. 308, won't go out and say he'll crack the top 50 this year, but he wouldn't be taken aback if he did.
"I don't like setting goals like that, but if I play full schedule, barring injury, anything can happen,' said Sock, who will begin working with USTA coach Jay berger again next week in Memphis. "You have guys like Bernard Tomic [who is also 19] who got to the quarters of Wimbledon last year and into the top 50 and Ryan got to two semis last summer, so I wouldn't say it's far fetched at all."
Harrison is further along than both his compatriots, but after reaching a career high No. 66 last August, he has slipped to No. 94.
An intense and temperamental sort, he's made it his New Year's resolution not to get any code violations this year, which he acknowledges will be difficult (he received code violations at both 2011 Roland Garros and Wimbledon). But he believes he is more experienced now and did give No. 4 Andy Murray hell for four sets in a loss at the 2012 Australian Open.
He's a well-schooled player with an impressive all around game and simply needs to refine his attack more. If he does, he also could make a substantial move this year and who knows, by the time that the US Open opens its doors late next summer, he could be seated in a coverted seeded position.
"I wouldn't be surprised, but I would be excited and I would take that as a big step," he said. "But I feel like I'm playing all these guys consistently tough and putting myself in a position where I can come through. Just like last year when I learned to control my emotions, the biggest thing for me this year is to get into a position to beat the top guys. It's a challenge I look forward to."
If all three 19 year olds do manage to make decent size waves this season, all the talk about the United States not having enough of a male presence on the ATP Tour will be reduced to dull roar. And five years from now, Courier might be able to lean forward in his captain's chair and watch a new group of players shock another world No.1.
"We really push each other," Kudla said. "Hopefully we are the future US Davis Cup team. That's what we are going for."
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Matt Cronin is a senior writer for Inside Tennis magazine, and the co-owner of the award winning TennisReporters.net. He writes the Ticker for Tennis.com, contributes regularly to Reuters, and is a radio analyst for all the Grand Slams. He just published the book, “Epic: John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg and the Greatest Tennis Season Ever.”
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