USTA and Nick Bollettieri to work with Donald Young
The USTA announced today that it will be working with Nick Bollettieri in the training and development of some of the top U.S. tennis prospects. This is one of the first examples of the USTA Elite Player Development’s new collaborative approach with top coaches and private academies to the development of the next generation of American champions.
Donald Young, who is currently working with USTA National Coach Ricardo Acuna, will visit Nick Bollettieri’s Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Fla. Young will be able to work with the many top pros currently training at the Bollettieri facility, and will receive on-court instruction and support from Bollettieri.
Young, 18, is currently ranked No. 73 in the world. The former No. 1 junior in the world finished 2007 as the youngest American in the Top-100 of the ATP rankings, playing primarily on the USTA Pro Circuit. Since the Australian Open, Young has played ATP events exclusively, and has won five of his last eight matches on tour, including a win over No. 32 Feliciano Lopez in Indian Wells and a quarterfinal finish in Memphis.
The USTA announced that it will also work with Bollettieri and support the training of three top junior prospects - - Sachia Vickery, Victoria Duval and Alicia Black - - who are currently training at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. The USTA will provide coaching assistance, grants, USTA sponsored competitions, and potential wild cards.
Vickery, 12, of Miramar, Fla., captured her second USTA gold ball at the Girls’ 14s Easter Bowl and subsequently raised her national ranking to No. 10 in the girls’ 14-and-under division. Duval, 12, of Delray Beach, Fla., won the singles title at the Girls’ 12-and-under Winter Nationals in December and is currently ranked No. 2 in the USTA Girls’ 12s. Black, 9, of Boca Raton, Fla., has already captured seven 10-and-under titles.
Man this is going to be good for U.S. tennis!! I will be lucky enough to see one of these prospects (Sachia Vickery) in action this weekend. She is playing a junior tournament in Columbus,OH.
Well i guess i spoke too soon. Sachia was listed as a competitor in the Columbus Indoor Championships but she wasn’t at the tournament?
JW, she is playing at the Gator Bowl. She is in the finals today against Victoria Duval, one of the other girls who is training at the Academy!
Here is the draw: http://www.tennisinformation.com/tourny/5/1/8/1/8/0/7/draw-6-mf.asp
Unreal! and the 16’s ta boot. The Academy players are on fire!! I see Jacqueline Crawford got pretty deep as well. My daughter has played her in the past a fierce competitor to say the least. Congratulations the Bollettieri system is second to none!
[...] Vickery and Duval bring back trophies As we mentioned earlier in the week, NBTA students Sachia Vickery and Victoria Duval faced off in the finals of the Girls 16 ATP Gator Bowl final. Vickery, who is 12 years old, took home the title, winning 7-5, 6-3. Both girls work with Nick during the day, and are also part of the USTA’s Elite Player Development program. [...]