Americans Have Plenty To Prove In A Summer Of Tennis

With English tennis fans loving nothing more than a good old moan, particularly when it comes to their own players it would seem to an outsider that tennis in our country is in a far, far worse state than in the majority of other countries in the world, even those where tennis isn't a widely played sport.

However, this week, there was reason to feel smug, with the most recent rankings including not a single player from the United States in the top ten. Just ten or so years ago, that stat would have been greeted with disbelief from anyone with even a passing knowledge of the sport, but times have changed since then, and it's now Europe who enjoy the sight of top ten ranking dominance. With the rankings not including an American for the first time since records began, clearly it's a worrying time for the sport in that nation and those following the Wimbledon betting should take note.

The reasons for America's slip in the global context of tennis are wide-ranging and open to debate. Some have blamed the lack of close competition at the top of both the women's and the men's games, with the same old players always reaching the business end of the Grand Slams, while others believe that a lack of corporate support in the USA is to blame. Whatever the reason, the tennis betting suggests you won't see an American in a slam final any time soon.

Andy Roddick may well have come out with a staunch defence of the Americans' love of the sport, but with the upcoming French Open and Wimbledon later this summer likely to be dominated by one of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, or Andy Murray (we can at least hope!) it's clear that the USA has a lot to prove as it seeks to bounce back to the glory days it enjoyed not so long ago.