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**abossakon** · 05-27-2009, 10:47 AM

I really think...that offering up this excuse year after year after year after year is a load of horsesh*t.

If Rafa can do Aussie, Clay and Grass...why can't the Americans? If Serena can win the French Open .....then Roddick, Blake, even Wayne and Ginepri can go further.

Spare me that "oh that is where we excel at" crap. If ya wanna compete,GO OUT AND COMPETE!

How much respect would we have for all of the clay courters that come over to the USA for the hardcourt season.....what would we say about them if they offered up this bit of drivel: "oh we are clay court specialists. That is where we excel at. We are just obligated to come to some of these events otherwise, we are just waiting until the clay court season rolls around again because that is where we excel at!".

Top players.....play on ANY surface. At least...Pete tried. And he NEVER offered LAME excuses!

The Americans are, in many ways, where the Spaniards were 10-20 years ago (see: Alex Corretja's Grand Slam record (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Co...mance_timeline) or Albert Costa's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_...mance_timeline) or Sergi Bruguera's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergi_B...mance_timeline)).

But I don't know if I agree with the notion that Americans now aren't trying...but Pete Sampras did. He phoned it in for years at the French Open (after his run in 1996 he didn't have a single laudable result). He made the (I believe conscious) decision that it wasn't worth the effort to retool his game in order to make a run there when Wimbledon was a few weeks later and he was probably going to win it playing just the way he had been. That's where he excelled and he didn't put as much effort into playing on clay. It's not what his fans want to hear, but it's not an invalid decision, IMO. And Rafa and Roger and Serena (and Andre, for that matter) can make the transition and requisite adjustments between surfaces because frankly they're more talented than James and Robby Ginepri and Wayne Odesnik.

And Pete was way too monosyllabic to offer excuses anyway.

05-27-2009, 10:47 AM	#30
abossakon Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 540 Senior Member	I really think...that offering up this excuse year after year after year after year is a load of horsesht. If Rafa can do Aussie, Clay and Grass...why can't the Americans? If Serena can win the French Open .....then Roddick, Blake, even Wayne and Ginepri can go further. Spare me that "oh that is where we excel at" crap. If ya wanna compete,GO OUT AND COMPETE! How much respect would we have for all of the clay courters that come over to the USA for the hardcourt season.....what would we say about them if they offered up this bit of drivel: "oh we are clay court specialists. That is where we excel at. We are just obligated to come to some of these events otherwise, we are just waiting until the clay court season rolls around again because that is where we excel at!". Top players.....play on ANY surface. At least...Pete tried. And he NEVER offered LAME excuses! The Americans are, in many ways, where the Spaniards were 10-20 years ago (see: Alex Corretja's Grand Slam record (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Co...mance_timeline) or Albert Costa's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_...mance_timeline) or Sergi Bruguera's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergi_B...mance_timeline)). But I don't know if I agree with the notion that Americans now aren't trying...but Pete Sampras did. He phoned it in for years at the French Open (after his run in 1996 he didn't have a single laudable result). He made the (I believe conscious) decision that it wasn't worth the effort to retool his game in order to make a run there when Wimbledon was a few weeks later and he was probably* going to win it playing just the way he had been. That's where he excelled and he didn't put as much effort into playing on clay. It's not what his fans want to hear, but it's not an invalid decision, IMO. And Rafa and Roger and Serena (and Andre, for that matter) can make the transition and requisite adjustments between surfaces because frankly they're more talented than James and Robby Ginepri and Wayne Odesnik. And Pete was way too monosyllabic to offer excuses anyway.
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