Born in San Francisco, CA, Querrey is not the typical young tennis player. He attended public school and did not follow the typically strict scheduling of rising tennis players. Nor did he attend a tennis academy or hire a private trainer in his youth. In a recent interview with Kevin Armstrong of Sports Illustrated, Querrey shared his thoughts on youth tennis:
I played all different sports coming up. Some kids play six hours a day since they were eight years old. When I see 11-year-olds in the gym training for tennis, that's too much. You have to keep things fun. When you're that age, you should just do what you want.Querrey is often attributed with this laid back attitude. In big matches, he seems to be relaxed and unconcerned with the result. And yet, he has the tools to be the next major star on the ATP tour. His Roddick-like game combines a big serve and a powerful forehand, often putting his opponents on their heels. His height, at 6-foot-6, no doubt benefits his service game. In fact, Querrey presently holds the Open Era record for most consecutive aces in a match after smashing 10 in a row against James Blake at the Indianapolis Tennis Championships in 2007.
Querrey's attitude and size can be benefits, but they are often the characteristics critiqued most by tennis experts. Many of those who have hopes for the American question whether his attitude is one of a true champion. In an interview after playing in Cincinnati in 2008, Querrey talked about his calm demeanor:
I'm going to just try to have fun. That's the only purpose of playing every match. Yeah, I mean, I don't really feel pressure. I'm just kind of going out there and doing whatever.Whether or not he has the drive to win tournaments and beat the best is questionable to many. He seems to be more set on enjoying himself than anything else. In my opinion, however, the drive is there.
I had a chance to watch Querrey play in 2006 at the Tennis Hall of Fame in Rhode Island. In a match against a young Andy Murray, an even younger Querrey sacrificed his body for the chance to save a set point. Murray hit a hard, cross-court forehand out wait toward the stadium seating alongside the court. My family and I watched as the ball hit the grass court, then rose up and flew toward us.
Out of nowhere, thundering footsteps drew our attention to the left as we watched the tall, 200-pound Querrey lunge after the shot, running into the 3-foot wall dividing our seats and the court and nearly falling into my lap. He dumped the shot into the net, but he clearly wanted it. That was enough for me.
As for his size, Querrey is tall and has a big frame. That means he needs to do a lot of conditioning to keep up with the best in the world. It takes good footwork and a lot of training to move at high speeds with a body like his. This step will take work, but after a questionable decision to turn down training with former Andre Agassi coach Gil Reyes, Querrey has come around and spent time with the gifted trainer.
In fact, in the same Cincinnati post-match interview, Querrey noted a lot of the benefits he was seeing:
It's great. He's got a great gym. I think it's really beneficial. I definitely got a lot stronger in my upper body. You know, we'll work on strength from the feet all the way up to the shoulder and back. I feel like everything is a little bit stronger.His fitness and hopefully it's improvement will play a crucial role in his future performances. We all saw what losing 15 pounds and training more can do for a player after Andy Roddick's performance in the Wimbledon final.
There is high hope for the young Californian. In my opinion, he has the hunger and the drive. He has a lot of dangerous weapons. He is training hard with one of the best coaches in the world. And he is very likely on his way to being the next American superstar.
-TSI
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