Young American Players Making Coaching Changes

Written by: Staff on 5th December 2011

Young American Players Making Coaching Changes |

It has not been a quiet past five months for younger U.S. pros regarding coaching changes.

Two of the U.S.’s most promising young women, CoCo Vandeweghe and Melanie Oudin, made substantial changes in the late summer. Vandeweghe had been working through the USTA with former US Davis Cup captain Tom Gullikson, but then switched to Jan-Michael Gambil, a former top 15 ranked pro whom she got to know through World Team Tennis. After reaching a career high ranking No. 89 in the spring, the 20-year-old Vandeweghe has fallen to No. 122 and will be forced to try and earn a wild card into Melbourne when the USTA Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs at the Racquet Club of the South are held December 16-18.

The same goes with 2009 US Open quarterfinalist Melanie Oudin, whose ranking has fallen out of the top 160. Oudin split with her longtime coach Brian DeVilliers just after the US Open and is now working with Gullikson. The Georgia native recently packed her racket bag and moved to the USTA Player Development headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida.

Perhaps the most surprising move came when after having a successful Asian swing under USTA coach Mike Sell, Donald Young decided to once again be coached by his mother, Ilona.

Young had specifically requested to be coached by Sell, who has worked with him on and off over the years. During the Asian swing, Young reached his first ever ATP final in at the Thailand and ended the year ranked No. 39. But when the USTA asked him to come to Boca Raton or to Carson, California, to train in the off-season without his mother, he apparently refused.

Then, last week, 19-year-old Ryan Harrison parted ways with coach Scott McCain, who did some good work with the Texan during the spring and early summer. McCain also coaches India’s Somdev Devvarman.

Harrison is considered one of the United States’ top prospects. The USTA closely follows his career and has provided him with coaching on occasion. Harrison finished 2011 with a career-high, year-end ranking of No. 79, but slumped in the fall. His father, Chip. works at the Nick Bollettieri Academy and Harrison, who is represented by academy owner IMG, often trains there.

One source in the Harrison camp told DTN that Ryan will name a new coach very soon. Another told DTN that one of the names in the mix is Grant Doyle, who once coached Sam Querrey and also who owns an academy.

Teenager Jack Sock is still working with coach Mike Wolf, but they have not firmed up their plans yet for 2012.

Topics: Coaching changes, Usta