Roland Garros : Early Exit

Rough Day in Paris.... Today, Jamie and I followed suit with the rest of the Americans (Roddick, Blake, Querrey, Kendrick, Spadea, Delic) and Brit (Henman) who all bowed out first round. We had some chances including two set points in the first set, but couldn't get it done. I remember just a couple years ago watching Agassi play Courier in the finals of Roland Garros. Now we can't even get an American past the first round!!! What's the problem you ask??? Increasing number of South American players, lack of red clay courts in the states, and maybe bad luck? I wish I could really put my finger on it. For me, growing up I played about 7 tournaments on green clay (Har-Tru) before I was 22....which was also the first year I even hit a ball on the red "terre battu" (literal translation being "beaten earth" but is actually crushed brick). However, the Bryan's have proved that Americans can still be successful at least in doubles, but the current top Americans (Roddick, Blake and Fish) really rely on the speed of a hard court. I will stay in Paris for the next two days and watch some tennis, hit the gym, and hopefully provide you with some good stories from behind the scenes at Roland. Expect much better results coming soon as myself, Andy, James and Tim, I can say with certainty, will not be hitting many balls on clay for the next ten months. This should bring more success...but maybe it's also part of the problem? Either way.... Bring on the grass!!!