Why The US Is Worried Men’s Tennis Is On The Decline

*Isner

THE Americans are scared. 
  They’re scared that if things keep going as poorly as they are at the moment they could end up like ... gulp ... Australia.
The sad state of US men’s tennis has raised concerns the country is following Australia’s dark decline, which now sees us with just one player in the top 50 – a well-past-his-best Lleyton Hewitt at 46.
“Believe it or not, American men’s tennis may not have struck bottom,” wrote Christopher Clarey in The New York Times .
“Look at the once-dominant Australians, who 
 have no men in the top 40 of the ATP rankings.
“Look, if you can bear it, at the once-dominant Swedes, who have no men in the top 300.” Right now, the powerhouse that is American men’s tennis is in the midst of a worrying slump.
Only one US man, big-serving John Isner, is in the top 60.
“That is really extreme, and I certainly hope for better,” said broadcaster and former world No. 1 Jim Courier.
“The one thing that hopefully it does is wake up our fans. We should let go of this sense of entitlement that Americans deserve top players. We don’t deserve it. We have to earn it like everybody else.”In a similar criticism that has been levelled at Australia’s world No. 80 Bernard Tomic, Courier said young American players lacked a world-class work ethic and toughness.
“There are plenty of talented players who are not getting the most out of their talent,” Courier said.
World No. 11 Isner echoed the sentiment, saying: “There are a lot of American guys that are a lot better than their ranking.
“It’s up to them to go out there and keep playing hard.”
American men have won 51 grand slam singles titles in the Open era – more than double that of any other country.
But the most recent major champion was Andy Roddick way back in 2003.
Australia’s most recent grand slam winner was Hewitt, who won Wimbledon in 2002