Without the John McEnroe endorsement of Donald Young at a very tender age, would any of us know this much about him? Or would he have been as Chase Buchanan is now, one of the very best 14-and-under tennis players in the world, with unlimited potential and time to develop it outside the glare that is sports celebrity in the United States?
Donald Young won the Les Petits As, a 14-and-under competition in France that has Nadal and Hingis among its champions, two years ago, at age 13. Buchanan just matched that, at exactly the same age. In beating Lazare Kukhalashvili, (for more on him, see my story News From Over There) in what must have been a terrific match, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, Buchanan has just added another prestigious title to an already stellar junior resume. (See juniortennis.com's compilation by clicking on Buchanan's name when using this link)-- Les Petits As
I've only seen Buchanan play once, at last year's Jr. Orange Bowl, because he hasn't yet entered Kalamazoo. I spoke with his coach Al Matthews, who works with Buchanan in Columbus Ohio, and he was quietly confident of his protege's chances against anyone in the 14s draw. Matthews mentioned Buchanan's grasp of the game's nuances as one of his strengths, and I had no trouble confirming that in the straight set win I watched. Seeded third, Buchanan eventually lost in the finals to Richard Berankis from Lithuania, who had earlier in the month won the Eddie Herr, and has graduated to the 16-and-unders this year.
Coping with pressure is undeniably one of the most important skills any junior can learn. But winning international titles and national championships, competing against peers at the highest level of the sport, provides that opportunity. I don't think any junior benefits emotionally from pressure exerted by those outside the competitive arena.
So what I wish for Bernard Tomic and Chase Buchanan and Ryan Harrison and any other talented tennis prodigy is this: time to learn about the game and themselves, from those with wisdom and purity of motives. To quote John Lennon, "Imagine."
And no, the irony of this website isn't lost on me. One of my goals in starting this site is to raise the profile of junior tennis. One unintended consequence of this may be to spotlight those who are better off in the relative obscurity now enveloping most of junior tennis. I can only counter with the hope that the intentions of this site's users are as benign as mine.
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