The buzz still hasn’t died down from the 2011 Australian Open.  The conversations usually go something like this: “Wow! Djokovic played unbelievable winning the men’s title and Clijsters looked so strong winning the women’s.”

But really, what’s happening with the Americans?

Well, not totally absent from the winner’s circle at the year’s first slam – The Bryans won their fifth Australian Open and 10th grand slam overall.  How soon we forget.  However, with only four male Americans ranked in the top 100 there is cause for concern far and wide.

What’s going on?

Here lies the crux of the matter:

Coaching                         – Is the coaching better in Europe?
Hard courts                            – Is it better to develop your game on clay than hard courts?
Lack of tennis facilities           – Are there fewer places to play today in the U.S.?
Americans have lost desire     – Have we gone soft?
Junior Tennis                          – Are we too obsessed with juniors?

Let’s explore these questions further next time around.

See you then,

Lightning signing off.