USTA President Harry Marmion is interviewed in NEWSDAY
as the U.S. Open begins in Flushing Meadows. Marmion, on
the state of tennis: "The popularity of tennis as a sport is
declining. It's a very serious matter. We are now behind
beach volleyball, in-line skating -- all these crazy things
that have come up in the last few years. We've got to
increase our grass-roots talent. We're going to announce a
five-year, multimillion-dollar investment called the Big
Idea to promote grass-roots tennis. The second great
problem ... is that our player development program is not
working. ... We're not spending enough money." Marmion adds
that to get more U.S. players in the top ranks, "We've got
to have more capacity to play in tournaments. In short,
we're going to take every kid in the top hundred under 25
and get them a coach. That's going to cost $100,000 a year
for a coach when you include expenses" (NEWSDAY, 8/25).
STATE OF THE GAME: With the start of the U.S.'s premier
tennis event in a new, multimillion dollar facility, many in
the media commented on the state of the game. In L.A.,
Julie Cart: "How does the USTA justify erecting a $245-
million structure that will be used for two weeks a year
when the sport is struggling in this country?" Cart added
that the USTA "chooses to piggyback on Ashe's good name, yet
has done little to further the projects so dear to his
heart" (L.A. TIMES, 8/24). The FINANCIAL TIMES' John
Barrett: "While the Grand Slams flourish ... the rest of the
professional game is in poor health. The main problems
facing the men's ATP Tour and the Women's WTA Tour are size,
lack of focus, lack of co-ordinating authority and too few
charismatic performers" (FINANCIAL TIMES, 8/23). In Dallas,
Darryl Richards: "[T]here is genuine concern about the
future of the American game after the departure of Sampras
And Co" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 8/25). On ESPN's "Sunday
SportsDay," Mitch Albom's "radical suggestions" to market
the game for American audiences included shortening the
"men's matches to three sets." Bob Ryan: "We've got to find
more Americans, that's the sad fact. We're a very parochial
country" (ESPN, 8/24). In Ft. Worth, Simon Gonzalez wrote
it would be "inaccurate to suggest that professional tennis
is vigorous in this country. ... How can it be, when two of
the [USTA's] corporate sponsors, Heineken and IBM, will air
spots around the U.S. Open featuring not No. 1 ranked [Pete]
Sampras or No. 2 Michael Chang, but [John] McEnroe?" (STAR-
TELEGRAM, 8/24). In reaction to criticism of the cost of
the new facility, the USTA will hold a press conference on
Thursday to discuss the issue (N.Y. POST, 8/24).
