Posted by Peter Bodo, TENNIS.com
At a time when fears of a horrific future have led U.S. tennis officials and fans to cast increasingly panicked glances at the tadpoles in the gene pool, Sam Querrey of Thousand Oaks, Calif., made a statement. It was a pretty big statement for a pollywog of 19, given that the ace is the "statement" shot in tennis.
Against James Blake a few nights ago at the Indianapolis Tennis Championships, Querrey hit 10 aces in a row -- an achievement so extraordinary that even Greg Sharko, the ATP's resident Statmeister, was left scratching his head. Had anyone else in the Open era come even close to accomplishing something so audacious?
The consensus answer was, "no" and please feel free to write if you know otherwise. That's right, Querrey did something that neither Pancho Gonzalez, Goran Ivanisevic, Roscoe Tanner, Boris Becker, Pete Sampras nor even Slobodan Zivojinovic (hey, "Bobo" hit aces by the truckload; you
should know how to pronounce his name) ever accomplished -- not in their prime, not even on Wimbledon's ace-friendly grass.
Ten aces in a row. This big (6-foot-6), goofy kid has just become the sport's Billy the Kid -- famous for his gun. And you can bet that all the other ATP pros know this kid is crazy and don't care about nothin'. Funny, it wasn't so long ago that Sam warmed up for matches at big junior tournaments with -- er -- his mom. (Yep, think embroidered floral racket cover that says,
Love Means Nothing). "We liked to keep it fun, low key," Sam recently told me with a shrug. "I never felt pressured to achieve anything." He has the confidence of a Big Man -- plus power to burn, and surprisingly good "feel" and quickness.
But 10 aces in a row? That's epic. Like Lindsay Lohan going 10 days without getting drunk, passing out and getting her puffy little face plastered all over the New York Post. With his serve and forehand, Querrey can sleepwalk into the top 15 -- just like he somnambulated into the pro ranks after a low-key junior career.
Sam is an easygoing, laid-back kid. This year, he rented a house at Wimbledon just like the big stars do, and flew some of his friends over for the event, which is something the big stars usually don't do. He also lost his first-round match to Alejandro Falla, which is another thing the big stars usually don't do. But perhaps that was coincidental. After all, Querrey was already deep into a losing streak that began in April, and lasted through seven tournaments ending at Indianapolis. I got the feeling that Querrey doesn't get uptight about things like that, which is a great gift -- up to a point.
Still, it may not be as big a gift as the ability to fire 10 aces in a row. If all else fails, Querrey could find work as a carnival act.
But I don't think all else will fail.
