Dominant Djokovic wins his first Wimbledon title – where’s the American representation?

Summer wouldn’t be the same without the greatest tennis Grand Slam, Wimbledon. In a time when both the NFL and NBA are in a lockout, tennis shined on the sports stage this weekend with two of the most athletic players to take the grass.

Novak Djokovic captured his first Wimbledon title, defeating two-time champion Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3.

Djokovic, 24, had been working 20 years for this day. He began playing tennis at the age of four and today obviously was the biggest day in his career.

What he has done this year has been absolutely remarkable—now capturing the 2011 Australian Open and Wimbledon. Sunday he became the first Wimbledon champion not named Federer or Nadal since 2002. Djokovic is also now the world’s top-ranked player, a change since 2004.

This aspect, is great for the game of tennis. A new player stepping into the spotlight, embracing it, and leaving his footsteps on the court—all over.

The effort Nadal and Djokovic display on the court is outstanding. With those two, you can never be too sure a point is over with due to their quick reactions and ability to move on the grass. These two show off a new-age of the game, hustling all over the court and hitting miraculous balls like between the legs or while diving off the court.

Wimbledon always has and will be my favorite tennis Grand Slam. I remember the days of waking up to my favorite, Pete Sampras, winning the President’s Cup year after year. In fact, he was won seven of eight from 1992 to 2000.

But oh how the tides have turned. No American has won the tournament since. Andy Roddick did make it to the championship three times, (2004, 2005, 2009) losing to six-time champion Roger Federer each time.

And that needs to change. American’s need to start having a real presence in tennis again. Thanks to Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, the US did dominate the 90’s. But sense, there hasn’t been a strong force. Andy Roddick has shown signs of life but nothing significant. We all know he has a fast serve but that doesn’t guarantee you points.

Are other countries out working US players? Is tennis the way of life elsewhere? Or are athletic players encouraged to play football, basketball, and baseball more so than tennis? I think it’s a combination of all three.

There are academies nationwide for talented teenagers to develop the proper technique and hone their skills. Legendary American John McEnroe spoke out on NBC’s coverage believing the talent goes in spurts and that US players are focusing on other sports. He has his own academy in Florida and is hoping a few players come out of it.

Wimbledon and tennis still have an impact in the sports world today, but not quite what it use to. It’s time for Americans to take pride in the game, and prove they are worthy like the rest of the world already has.

Serbian Novak Djokovic is crazy good and extremely fun to watch. But there’s no reason for the United States not to have quality competition.

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Interesting side note: Djokovic doesn’t have any big sponsors. A few years ago, Adidas decided to sponsor Andy Murray rather than Novak who then turned to Sergio Tacchini. The last player Wimbledon winner sponsored by Tacchini was Goran Ivanisevic in 2001. Nike was worn in the previous eight championships by Federer and Nadal.

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