German... I mean College tennis..

[EricMatuszewski]

Quote: "Just look up the college single rankings and the germans are pretty visible. D1 number 1 and 4 and D2 five germans in the top 20. In fact if you combine the top 20 D1 and D2 there are more germans than americans."

( quote by Josef (Germany).)

What do you all think about this?

Why has this happened?

What should the US do about it?

What do we need to change about our system to compete in the world?

Eric

[GMann]

While you're discussing the German dominance, you should also point out that the PAST THREE NCAA singles champions were German citizens: Dorscht, Becker and Koelhoeffer (sp?) in 2006.

This is just another reason that I support some limits on the number of scholarships to foreign citizens by U.S. colleges.

If Germany (and any other country that would be as foolish as the U.S.) gave tennis scholarships to foreign citizens (including Americans) at their universities, they also would have national champions who were not Germans and Germany would be asking, why can't we compete? The U.S. can compete but when you combine every other country's players who are playing here, that is too many countries for one country (the U.S.) to compete with.

The answer is to limit the number of foreign scholarships unless the other countries open up their college athletic programs to foreigners like the U.S. has.

[giancarlo]

Lack of University Athletics in Europe is the culprit for foreign players in the US.

It would have been nice if there were such a thing as University and College sports in Europe. It is simply not how the system works.
Decide what you want to become when you are fourteen--how does anyone know? For Students in Europe it is very much: study or turn pro. One or the other. If you cannot make the tour and a decent living then you better stop and try to catch-up with what you missed in school. This is not always easy.

The USA provides a perfect opportunity since it allows one to study at University Level and train and compete like a pro. You get the best of both worlds. If you cannot make the jump into the pro circuit, then at least you have college degree. Remember, extremely few player successfully make the jump from college to pro.

Just some thoughts,

gc