World Tennis Fast Becoming a European Affair as Americans Begin to Fade

The battle continued between the current two best ranked players both European. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer battled it out for the Wimbledon title. Federer prevailed to win his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title. Remarkable it was the same two who played for the French Open title just a week previously. Consequently the game is fast being dominated by Europeans, and title contention from American players both in Men and Women could be a thing of the past.

Andre Agassi exited Wimbledon early on and this all meant there were no Americans in the second week of Wimbledon. There was also disappointing results for other Americans such as Andy Roddick and Venus Williams. The Williams sisters who were so dominant are starting to fade away. It has become a bit of a novelty to even see Serena Williams in a major tournament let alone winning one. Venus Williams continues to work hard but expect the 2005 Wimbledon title has very little to show.

The International Tennis Hall of Fame annual tournament is just getting under way in Rhode Island. Although this is usually avoided by many top ranked players it clearly an opportunity for Americans to put themselves back on the map. The No 1 seed is British No 1 Andy Murray and this surely a sign of the times. Its perfectly possible that American tennis is just going through a difficult period and will return with a vengeance later this year.

The reality of the situation is that the 2006 tennis season maybe one to forget for American tennis. The US Open is just around the corner and its unlikely that many Americans will make it to the later stages. I think one of the biggest problems is that American players have just been found out a bit. Andy Roddick has been considered rather one dimensional for a while. The European approach to tennis has much more variety and the power game is no longer enough.

The top American players need to learn to adapt to the changing ways of tennis. Big serves and hitting everything from the base line will only get them so far. The best players have terrific variety and are always prepared to take risks. The simple truth is for the Americans to get back on top they need to get good at every aspect of the game. Roger Federer is the best player because he has so many weapons available. Federer is simply a terrific all round player and can always up his game at crucial periods. The bottom line is American tennis looks in trouble but if the players can adapt they may get back on top.