Last year in July was my first look at Ryan Harrison. He was 18, a raw talent with athletic genes and fire in the belly.
He was playing in Newport on grass against Richard Bloomfield a Brit who is a classic grass court serve and volley artist.
Ryan lost that match, not because he was out gunned, but because his 18 year old mind wasn't up to the task of world class competition.
It's now 13 months later and Harrison, to my disappointment, is in the same place.
His technical skills haven't yet begun to evolve toward world class simplicity.
.His conditioning (perhaps hindered by physical immaturity)appears to leave him in oxygen debt for much too long after a demanding exchange( perhaps anxiety induced).
His emotional maturity is the lynch pin that will eventually create the realization that trying hard isn't the answer .
The tools have to be pared down to create cleaner ball striking --Flatter is a bit more dangerous, but at the level he aspires toward, penetrating depth, not looping short balls, is the currency of success.
Reaching the next level may involve a painful retooling of the team, and most certainly a long look into the mirror to see if you are ready to leave your childish behaviors behind and play on the Mens Tour, or blame your losses on someone else, a guy you don't yet know intimately--Yourself!