The US Open Series gets underway for the 12th consecutive year with the ATP 250 in Atlanta this week. At about the same time the first linesman jabs a finger in the air and cries "Out!" a different, no-less-familiar cry will ring out from sea to shining sea:
"When are we going to start seeing American-born champions contending for the US Open title again, like we did in the good old days?"
In this case, those good days aren't even so old, which is about the best thing you can say about the doldrums in which U.S. tennis finds itself mired. For 14 of 16 years between 1990 and 2006, at least one American man appeared in the US Open singles final. Six different men claimed that honor, and there were five all-American finals.
The record is dazzling, and that's exactly why the drop-off seems so puzzling. But there have been stirrings in the U.S. camp this year, and although it's premature to predict a full-blown resurgence, a few key elements seem to be falling into place for the Americans. Here's why:
Veteran leadership: It's easy to pay lip service to the idea of mentoring. But the senior players on the American depth chart know that while a lot of palaver about mentoring may be good PR, the best form of leadership is winning, period.
John Isner, Sam Querrey and doubles specialists Bob and Mike Bryan have always been available to the likes of rapidly rising Jack Sock, Steve Johnson, Tim Smyczek and others. And it has shown. After all, they are connected through the Davis Cup effort (which all the players support) as well as current and former coaches and even business managers.
But Isner also was truthful when he was asked about the state of American tennis during one of his news conferences at the 2014 US Open. "I get asked about it quite a lot," he said. "I have said also a lot that, you know, I just focus on myself. I'm not worried about the whole state of American tennis. I'm just doing what I can do as best as I can. Simple as that."
No reason to feel disillusioned. Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi weren't worried about the state of American tennis either when they came along to fill the void left by the departure of John McEnroe.
Solid representation in the top 100: One of Arthur Ashe's favorite expressions was "A rising tide lifts all boats." Eight U.S. men are currently in the top 100. In order from the highest-ranked: Isner (No. 18), Sock (31), Querrey (34), Johnson (46), Donald Young (55), Smyczek (75) Rajeev Ram (86) and Denis Kudla (96).
Sure, coincidence or good luck plays a role in this statistic, but the conditions for all these men to improve their rankings in the coming weeks will be favorable. And you can bet they'll be pulling for one another -- even as they're trying to outdo each other. That's how the tide pulls.
After a delayed start this season, Sock has had a terrific 2015, and Johnson has also taken major strides this year.
Apprentices: A number of talented players under age 19 have forgone junior play to earn their keep in the tennis minors. They have, as Roger Federer once said, "been collecting information." Those players are Frances Tiafoe and Stefan Kozlov, both 17, and 18-year-old Jared Donaldson. They're fully aware of the opportunity wild cards into the upcoming events represent after slogging along in Futures and Challengers.
Newly minted junior champions: Tommy Paul defeated Taylor Fritz to win the French Open junior title this year in the first-ever American boys' final at Roland Garros. A few weeks later, Reilly Opelka won the boys' title at Wimbledon. Fritz and Opelka aren't even 18 yet.
Just as striking, Fritz and Opelka both are built on the kind of platform that the contemporary game seems to demand. Fritz is 6-foot-4, and Opelka is 6-10.
You can expect to see a lot of these players in the coming weeks, hopefully for more than one turn per event. You can also expect to hear that question about the state of American tennis repeated again and again.
Perhaps there will be a few satisfying answers forthcoming by the time the US Open ends.