Terrific post on Britton, Pete. Thanks so much turning your entertaining and spot-on powers of analysis on a U.S. junior.

Pete:

Thanks for a good read.

ks

2nd

speaking of which, stefan edberg owned possibly the best 2nd serve in the game... maybe britton should tailor a game where he can get to net behind both deliveries and revive the serve-volley style again

Fabulous stuff, Pete. Thanks.

Fantastic read on Devin.

I have had the pleasure of being on the court with Devin many times back when I was taller than him. I can say without reservation that even back then he was one of the most selfless and and honest people I have met. He deserves any success he can earn.

I also have to say that back here in the mother country (I didn't know there was a state fish and I have lived here 40 years) we tend to be cautious with speculation on how much success Mr. Britton might atain.

That's why your piece blew me away. If you, a crafy and expert veterain observer of tennis, can write such an upbeat and positive article, then we are truely encouraged.

And yes, my spell checker has gone fishing.

Greate write up. Nice to know there's a Yank in the wings (other than, ahem, Donald Young. Ahem.)

Well, this is going to be interesting.

There has been quite a bit of assuming going on regarding the current game. I say, assuming, because for there to be proof that its not possible to S/V anymore you would have to see a representative sample of S/V ers getting passed off the court by standard power baseliners, and you simply do not see it.

It will be fun to keep track of Britton's results.

Rafael Nadal does fish a lot.

Thanks for the post, Pete. Having had the opportunity to watch Devin play recently, I was struck by the contrast between his aggressive serve and volley game and the baseline game played by most everyone else, and the relative ease with which he wins points when things are clicking. As a lifelong Mississippian, I am cautiously hopeful that he will be successful once he turns pro. (To my knowledge he has not yet announced whether he will return to Ole Miss for his sophomore year or turn pro.) Certainly there are many potential career trajectories, but at this point it sure is good to see an up-and-coming American with Devin's potential. Also, it is worth mentioning that he was recently selected as a practice partner for the upcoming Davis Cup tie in Croatia.

"Southerners can be a fiercely proud, stubborn lot, imperturbable and not easily discouraged or cowed by the conventional wisdom, especially of the kind that emanates from more cosmopolitan precincts, like pretty much anywhere north of the Mason-Dixon line(you can say that again)"

ya could add easy going, and polite(for the most part) to that list of southern qualites.

Nice piece though, He seems to have a pretty good shot at making it. It'd be cool to have a southerner pro, all these U.S. players are from the north;(

"Southerners can be a fiercely proud, stubborn lot, imperturbable and not easily discouraged or cowed by the conventional wisdom, especially of the kind that emanates from more cosmopolitan precincts, like pretty much anywhere north of the Mason-Dixon line(you can say that again)"

ya could add easy going, and polite(for the most part) to that list of southern qualites.

Nice piece though, He seems to have a pretty good shot at making it. It'd be cool to have a southerner pro, all these U.S. players are from the north;(

"Southerners can be a fiercely proud, stubborn lot, imperturbable and not easily discouraged or cowed by the conventional wisdom, especially of the kind that emanates from more cosmopolitan precincts, like pretty much anywhere north of the Mason-Dixon line(you can say that again)"

ya could add easy going, and polite(for the most part) to that list of southern qualites.

Nice piece though, He seems to have a pretty good shot at making it. It'd be cool to have a southerner pro, all these U.S. players are from the north;(

"Southerners can be a fiercely proud, stubborn lot, imperturbable and not easily discouraged or cowed by the conventional wisdom, especially of the kind that emanates from more cosmopolitan precincts, like pretty much anywhere north of the Mason-Dixon line(you can say that again)"

ya could add easy going, and polite(for the most part) to that list of southern qualites.

Nice piece though, He seems to have a pretty good shot at making it. It'd be cool to have a southerner pro, all these U.S. players are from the north;(

That didn't work out so bad! I will remember this article, and I hope that the serve and volley styles makes a comeback. I personally enjoy it and change is definitely on the cards. thank YOU

Andy Roddick is from Texas isnt he?

Thanks for this one, Pete. I'm definitely in the s&v cannot work camp (as a staple diet). Would happily eat crow if some1 can prove me wrong.

The serve and volley game might be on hiatus in today's game, but it is not dead. Styles of play in tennis, much like offensive schemes in American football, are cyclical. What works today is passe tomorrow. Let one or two players succeed serving and volleying and others will follow suit. I think now would be the perfect time for a successful serve and volleyer to burst onto the scene. I don't claim to be a tennis historian, but I doubt that there ever has been a time when so many players have so little experience playing against serve and volleyers. The time is ripe.

Who is next American young gun?
What happen to Donald Young?
I had doubts that he might not survive because of his size.
Not sure why he disappeared!

Very fun read about devin pete! ptenis, ndk and i wandered out to see him at the open last year. actually, we went to see bernard tomic, and devin pulled out the win instead!

i made a note of this devin kid from mississippi, figured i'd look him up again...see if that was a one shot deal or nay. looks like i'll be able to catch some more of him soon enough.. :)

as for the serve n' volley, its kind of funny watching this years wimby, with so many big servers and so many points played at net.. successfully! so maybe there's hope for devin's game yet?

Pete - nice read
and I look forward to seeing this young man in the future
being from Memphis originally - Mississippi is almost like home -
and I do love to see a good ole southern boy doing well
hope he can succeed in bringing serve and volley back to the lawns of Wimbledon

as for Roddick - he lives in Texas now , but is originally from Omaha, Nebraska

I'm loving the fact there's so many oldies left on the men's side. It's like we've flashed back to somewhere between 02 and 04. Great stuff!

Trent- I think Roddick is more from Nebraska and then Florida, though he lives in Texas now (to the extent a pro tennis player actually lives anywhere specific).

"For fans who prefer their violence imagined rather than observed Mississippi is also the birthplace of the Nobel-Prize winning author William Faulkner." - that is the worst description of Faulkner ever.

And I am not sure if other readers here noticed, but your presentation of the young tennis player has a very strong cynical note in it...in the end we get a picture of a big guy with not so good FH, injured hip, destroyed in Paris. That is all? Oh, yes...and he should "wait" even though he is older than Rafa was when he had his first great success? So, it all sounds more like mocking the young Britton than presenting him.

Having caught a big ole largemouth bass as of late, I enjoyed the the references. Also should be noted that in addition to being the home of Faulkner, the formidable writer Barry Harrah lives and writes in Oxford, Mississippi, home of Ole Miss, and is a tennis player himself, not to mention the author of the hilarious tennis novel The Tennis Handsome.

Pete: Thanks for a good read. Will be keeping an eye out for Britton.

"for there to be proof that its not possible to S/V anymore you would have to see a representative sample of S/V ers getting passed off the court by standard power baseliners, and you simply do not see it. "

Well said, Dunlop.

Pete. Thanks for this piece. If you get a chance, I'd love to hear your thoughts on another Southern American junior, the 15th seed Tennys Sandgren.

Nice interview from Roger:

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4294821

Sorry, wrong thread.

In the last few days (post MJ's demise) it seems that I read somewhere (I thought this board -- but I guess that I'm wrong -- must have been an article on Google News) that the game was ripe for a serve and volleyer to come along and beat up on the current preferred game of back court players.

Well, why not!?! The pundits said the time is now -- so I say go for it.

Hey everyone! *waves*

Fun read, and a nice change from all the intensity of Manic Monday and the quarter-finals. :)

One question though (probably stupid and I'll kick myself for not being able to work this out) - who or what is Bubba?

Great article...if more youngsters would be groomed to play serve and volley, they would surely be able to match the current level from the baseliners regardless of racket technology or surfaces. Unfortunately that's the hardest way to go and it's wonderful to see kids like Britton sticking to their natural ways of playing. Hope he goes far and gives the baseline clones a true run for their money...

Pete Many thanks for a wonderful story.

Well I cant wait to he hits the hallowed turf of Wimbledon,Queens etc.

Yes its true you are only as good as your second serve indeed.

Hope this young guy with the s/volley game stays true to himself.

hello all! i've missed TW a lot due to the IE crash/ lag i've been experiencing whenever i try to open tennis.com

Jewell - "Bubba"is an all-around generic nickname for the good ole boy, because it's always been a common diminuitive, and is usually used with a mixture of affection, although sometimes it's meant to be mortifying.

ah I see. Thanks, Pete. :)

I've only ever come across it used in sinister fashion by Stephen King before...LOL.

"Git 'Er Done?"
"Trucker's Tan"
"More cosmopolitan precincts,
like pretty much anywhere north of the Mason-Dixon line?"
Pete, it's truly remarkable how many people you managed to offend in those first two paragraphs.

P.S.: Is it true that you were one of the ushers at Lew Hoad's wedding?

Pete, needless to say most everyone has made the "great article Pete" accolades already, but I'll say "great article Pete" once again! A change of pace is good in so many ways you know in tennis when appropriate and you've done this quite well going to an upcoming success not only in tennis, but junior tennis.
As a raised and born in Mississippi tennis playing nut who happened to attend that University in Mississippi (living right steps away from those heralded courts down yonder post-Coach Chadwick days called the Magnolia Courts) called Ole Miss which is known for it's sports heritage in football (rising again!) and baseball (doing great too!) and on occasions basketball (sans injuries!), track & field (just birthing in it's infancy!), golf (OK, not too great, but not too bad! ya know how golf is!), well tennis has been a routine top performer which seemingly gets little notice unless you're a tennis die-hard (#4 in 2009 with a very young team!), Devin brought that into fruition unselfishly by dropping from #1 to #2 where he created havoc upon most whom he had met on court in the SEC, then the nation in the NCAA's becoming 'thu champeeon'.
French has been unkind to most Americans if I remember correctly, but feel Devin may just change (in time) the way tennis can be played.
Wimbledon is fun for him as you have well intimated least until we underestimate our opponents, but with self-confidence like that of a Nadal, Federer who knows what Mr. Britton can do and where he'll finish!
Even if he doesn't here, there's the uber-comfortable home back in NYC (can a suutherner say NYC with cumfert? Yeah we can!), he just came up short, an irony considering his ht.) in 2008 by being a runner-up in Jr's so he can get it done "final"-ly on the hard stuff!
Whew! See what a proud American first, Southerner second, with Ole Miss tennis running through his blood, aghast third feels about your writing par excellance Mr. Bodo? Well done covering Jr. Tennis.
We know he'll end way up there in the higher echelon of professional ranks soon!

Thanks for the tip on the newest talent, Pete. I'll keep my eyes peeled.

Great post!
being a fellow S/V dude, I hope this guy makes it big! Im tired of seeing the power baseline "clones" as some1 put it. Taylor Dent Sv's at the pro lvl pretty well right now... Its a great offensive game, U can win or lose with a bad serve or great play from the other peep ur playing. Look at Sampras/Federer MSG match, it was close with high drama.. the contrast in styles made it fun to watch. Maybe why this tennis era is lacking?? I think the game has been going away with it because individuals are scared to come in, they would rather have time to watch the play happen, not have mistakes and emmulate the wear down- side to side tennis. I myself like ending the points quick and wreckin shop in my ntrp usta tourneys lol. losing happens, yet when you sv its always entertaining. Serve a 95+ mph ball to individuals backhand and chances are you'll notice a blooper back to ya ot seems like or a slow slice; comming in 2-3 times a game while serving, really keeps the returns honest.

The Mannings are most definately from New Orleans

Actually, Trevor, Archie was born and raised in Drew, Mississippi. The person you replied to referred to Mississippi as the ancestral home of Peyton and Eli. This means the home of their ancestors....a-la Archie and his family. Archie lives in New Orleans because that's where his career began, he has business interests there and they love the city. That doesn't mean he always lived there. So, Cooper, Peyton and Eli may be from New Orleans, but their ancestral home (as pointed out by the poster) is definitely (check your spelling) Mississippi.

Devin is an awesome player and has been since he started playing. My kids played at the same Jr. program he played in - he started from scratch and showed everyone what dedication turns in to. As a Rebel - we sure hope that he will return for his sophomore season. He made us all proud - but what an accomplishment for himself. Way to go Devin!

[i]Trent- I think Roddick is more from Nebraska and then Florida, though he lives in Texas now (to the extent a pro tennis player actually lives anywhere specific).[/i]

Don't know why you would say that considering that Roddick left Nebraska when he was 4 years old!!! He lived in Texas from ages 4-10; Florida from 10-21; & Texas again from 21-present. So in reality he's lived in Texas longer than anywhere else.

1) Texas is not part of the south--they think they are their own country most of the time.
2) Florida is not really part of the south.
3) Devin has pure raw natural talent bottled into a giant's body with an "aw shucks" attitude. Devin also has something many "tennis brats" don't have: a very cool (for lack of a better word) mother who holds him accountable. Before he left for IMG he had to WORK (real manual labor) every day blowing off the courts and cleaning up around the PUBLIC tennis facility (Parham Bridges in Jackson, MS) where he played in order to earn money to pay for his raquet stringings. Devin is supremely confident on the court but off the court you could not find a more humble kind level-headed teenager--an even greated rarity if you know the likes of most junior tennis players.

Jewell - as Pete said "Bubba " is a term for a good ole southern boy
but really it is a diminutive of brother
many little kids in the south call their brothers bubba - it is an easier word for little guys to say
and the name just sort of grew from there

and the Mannings are indeed from Drew Mississippi
Archie ( the dad ) is from Drew
Olivia ( the mom ) was homecoming queen at Ole Miss - where she and Archie met

the boys were born in New Orleans - they family home is now in the Garden District
but Mississippi is their original home years ago

While its nice to see an article about an up and coming American tennis player, I'm sick and tired of Southern stereotypes being trotted out: trucker's tan, Git 'er done bumper sticker, Bubba, 'Rod Laver don't fish either' (the contraction, nice), etc. Jeez, why do people always make Southerners into bumbling tobacky chawin' hicks?

As for this sentence: "Southerners can be a fiercely proud, stubborn lot, imperturbable and not easily discouraged or cowed by the conventional wisdom, especially of the kind that emanates from more cosmopolitan precincts, like pretty much anywhere north of the Mason-Dixon line." Hm. You can say that about folks from Maine, California, Alaska, etc...not that it's an insult, but again a rather easy meme to use for Southerners. And, of course, Southerners come in every shape and size - it's not like someone from Mississippi is the same as someone from North Carolina or Florida, each with their own distinct cultures and histories. It's like saying someone from Nevada is like someone from Oregon, because they happen to be in the West.

BTW, I would assume most every state in this fair union have a state fish, much like they have state birds, trees, poems, flowers, etc, etc.

Great post about an upcoming serve and volleyer. It deserves mention that Devin also won the AEGON International Junior Championships at Roehampton prior to Wimbledon Juniors in both singles and doubles.

Seriously Pete? Is this a tennis article or an attempt to stereotype/poke fun at Mississippians in as many different ways as possible? Stick to the tennis.

I know you are so proud of your son. There is no othe plesure than being the proud parent. Wish him the best of luck

Awesome article! Thanks for the great read, Peter.