During my voyage to the Miami Open, I had the chance to catch up with my old friend Paul Lubbers, Director of Coaching Education and Performance for the USTA. Here are Paul's candid thoughts about the state of American junior tennis. He talks about the value of attracting players through 10 and Under Tennis but also what happens to them afterwards and the liabilities in traditional junior competition.
Would it shock you to know that there are only 15,000 junior players in the entire country including both boys and girls in ALL age divisions that are playing 6 tournaments or more a year? 85,000 others kids start competitive tennis but quit, most after just one tournament! How and why does that happen? What about the culture of cheating in junior tennis? Is there a solution?
