With the doldrums of American tennis on display at the United States Open, Patrick McEnroe, one of the sport’s most high-profile personalities, has been forced out of his job as head of player development for the United States Tennis Association, the U.S.T.A. announced on Wednesday.
McEnroe is the younger brother of John McEnroe and the former coach of the United States Davis Cup team. He has been an analyst on ESPN for several years while running the player development program for the U.S.T.A., the sport’s governing body and the organizer of the showcase United States Open. His player development efforts have borne the brunt of the criticism as Americans have steadily lost their place in the upper echelon of professional tennis.
No American man reached the fourth round of the Open this year — the second straight year that has happened, and the second time in the tournament’s 134-year history.
McEnroe, who was broadcasting matches for ESPN on Wednesday afternoon, did not respond to an email message, but the U.S.T.A. said it would hold a news conference about its player developement program after the last scheduled match of the day session.
It was unclear whether McEnroe would remain with the U.S.T.A. in another capacity or leave the organization altogether.
The player development arm of the U.S.T.A. is at a crossroads. This year, the U.S.T.A. announced ambitious plans to create a “New Home for Tennis” in Lake Nona, in southeast Orlando, Fla. At $60 million and with 100 or more courts, the Lake Nona facility will include player development operations. McEnroe is based in New York.
The player development program is a 501(c)3 charity, one of the largest of its kind that operates under the umbrella of the U.S.T.A. The latest financial statements from the U.S.T.A., for 2013, show player development brought in $16.1 million in revenue.
The program’s mission is to train the top rising talent in American tennis. At its core is a training facility in Boca Raton, Fla., with 23 courts and housing for selected young players, several of whom are competing at the U.S. Open this week. Additionally, the player development program provides grants to other facilities for training.
McEnroe assumed his role as head of the player development program in 2008. He also served as the captain of the United States Davis Cup team and as the president of the U.S.T.A. Foundation, the organization’s charitable and philanthropic entity, which aims to help underserved youth, wounded veterans and individuals with disabilities. A former professional player, McEnroe won one singles and 16 doubles titles.
However, McEnroe has come under fire for his role with player development as elite players have struggled in major competitions. In interviews with several athletes, parents and coaches, McEnroe was described as not spending significant time at the Boca Raton facility. McEnroe has taken some of the blame from critics for the lack of American stars beyond Serena Williams, the world’s top-ranked women’s player.
In addition, during McEnroe’s tenure, the number of top-ranked men has ebbed. In 2008, eight American men were in the top 100 of the world rankings, and Andy Roddick was still in the top 10. Three others were in the top 50. Now, only 15th-ranked John Isner, who was eliminated Saturday in the third round of the Open, is the top 50, and only six Americans are in the top 100 over all.
On the women’s side, the story is different. Led by Williams, the number of American women in the top 100 has steadily increased, from five in 2008 to a dozen in the current rankings. The number in the top 50 over those years has doubled, to eight.
But Williams, who with her sister Venus learned the game from their father, is not considered a product of the U.S.T.A. development system, and many have asked whether expectations are too great to believe a national high performance center could hone the next Williams.
As head of player development, McEnroe’s pay in 2012 was about $875,000, according to the U.S.T.A.'s financial forms, and more than $1 million in each of the three previous years. Critics of his role in player development have pointed to his numerous television appearances, and question how he can focus on being an analyst while also earning a seven-figure paycheck from the U.S.T.A.
The U.S.T.A. has defended McEnroe’s compensation, and he began traveling in recent years to meet with top coaches as part of the player development program’s outreach efforts.
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