With Local Boy Mitchell Krueger, There's Hope For American Tennis

Couple years ago I alerted you to a tennis phenom in our midst. At the time, Keller 14-year-old Mitchell Krueger was just trying to find his way onto the cover of Sports Illustrated for Kids. Over the weekend, he came this close to winning the French Open. Not the French Open...

By Richie Whitt

June 6, 2011

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Couple years ago I alerted you to a tennis phenom in our midst. At the time, Keller 14-year-old Mitchell Krueger was just trying to find his way onto the cover of Sports Illustrated for Kids.

Over the weekend, he came this close to winning the French Open.

Not the French Open. That championship was won -- yes, again -- by Rafael Nadal over red-clay rival Roger Federer. It's official, Nadal is Bjorn Borg.

But over on a side court in Paris, Krueger and his boys' doubles partner, Shane Vinsant, made it to the final before falling in a third-set tiebreaker to a duo from Spain.

I'm not saying Krueger, who attends Spring Creek Academy in Plano and trains at T Bar M Racquet Club in Dallas, is the next John McEnroe or Andy Roddick or even Donald Young.

But who is?

For the first time since they began rankings in the '70s, there is no American man in the top 10.

For us few tennis geeks out there, this is revolting.

Krueger, who lost in the second round of the French Open boys' singles, has been ranked as high as No. 4 in his age group in the U.S.

At this point we're searching for America's next tennis idol. Might as well look under our own noses.

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