NEW YORK—A swarm of fans hanging over the rails at the top of the Grandstand were screaming Donald Young’s name with the exuberance of rowdy revelers in Times Square, anxiously awaiting the ball to drop on New Year’s Eve.
Pausing at one point to survey his surroundings from beneath the brim of his baseball cap, Young allowed himself a small smile at the hysteria he stirred up, then got back to business. On match point, Young lashed an inside-out forehand to cap a 7-5, 6-4, 6-3 win over 24th-seeded Juan Ignacio Chela. The American dropped his racquet to the court, punched his fist in the air and erupted in a primal scream that could barely be heard amid the collective roar of the crowd.
One round after roaring back from a deep deficit against 14th-seeded Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka to register the first five-set win of his career, the 84th-ranked, 22-year-old wild card continued his thrill ride through this U.S. Open draw by reaching the fourth round of a major for the first time, setting up a potential clash with fourth-seeded Andy Murray, whom Young shocked at Indian Wells in March.
The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is built on a landfill that was once an ash dump. It’s an appropriate setting for a man once relegated to the tennis scrap heap to make his own rise from the ashes and carry thousands of supportive fans along for the ride.
“I was getting tired toward the end of the first set and you guys were pumping me up; there was no way I could let you down,” Young told the crowd who showed him with a standing ovation.
The man who made headlines for his infamous “F* the USTA” tweet earlier this year is now making noise on the USTA’s grounds, growing into the competitor many thought he could be when he became the youngest man to attain the world No. 1 junior ranking. His victory, which followed Andy Roddick’s win and preceded John Isner’s triumph, means four American men have advanced to the round of 16 for the first time since 2003. (Mardy Fish reached the fourth round yesterday.)
Young’s off-court adventures have been well chronicled (asked if in retrospect his outburst at the USTA was a good thing in that it helped clear the air, Young laughed and said “definitely not”), but on court, he’s become a more seasoned competitor capable of creative point construction rather than just reactionary baseline play. Young has so many gears to his game, and it’s taken time for him to grow into it and understand what shots to play and what tactics to weed out.
“I've had that discussion with my team for a while, like how should I play, because I can play so many different ways,” Young said. “I feel not every way can I play great. It's like Jack of all trades, master of none. I'm definitely finding a way I can play consistently. You don't have to use absolutely everything for every opponent if it's not needed. But if it's needed, you can do it.”
Undoubtedly, Young’s game is still a work in progress. He must strengthen his serve if he’s ever going to fulfill his Top 25 potential—he’s content to spin it in, doesn’t make as much use of his lefty slice as he could, and has managed just four aces through three tournament wins—and he’s sometimes content to coax shots rather than crack them. Then there’s the issue of guidance: With so many people offering advice, how do you filter out the white noise from valuable insight?
“There’s a lot of pressure, a lot going on and a lot of voices in his head,” says Luke Jensen, who provided commentary for two of Young’s three wins. “If you’re Donald, who do you listen to? Do you listen to mom and dad who have taken you this far, or listen to all the other coaches offering advice?
“On serve the fastball isn’t even in his repertoire right now. Other cats his size, like [Alexandr] Dolgopolov, can serve 125, 130, and Donald doesn’t show that consistently, but the ability is there. He’s got great location from the ground, but aside from his forehand, what else is winning him points? Having said that, Donald has got a huge upside. Donald is just beyond talented, there’s so much talent and he’s such a smart player in the way he plays and sets up points. Eventually, it’s just going to come out.”
The only child of tennis teaching pros, Young brings both the bling (diamond studs in both ears) and flashy shot-making skills he showcased with several stirring drop volleys. But Young, who says he forgoes drinking in favor of video games to unwind, is a quiet presence off court. Roddick, one of several American standouts who have practiced with Young, believes Young’s shyness was wrongly perceived as surliness, and his past implosions were misinterpreted as insolence.
“I feel like he's gotten a little bit of a bum rap because he does have a temper and has been reactionary with his words at times,” Roddick said of Young. “But I think he is a sweet, sweet kid. He's shy. I think he might be coming out of that shell a little bit. I hope he is. It just seems like there's a sense of belief. He's not focusing on what's going wrong, which is a big thing. I've seen him a couple times. I'm just really happy for him. I mean, he's a shy kid. He's a nice kid.”
Three weeks ago, the prospect of Young making a deep run in Flushing Meadows seemed as likely as him wresting control of the world that sits on Atlas’ shoulders outside Rockefeller Center. To get an idea of just how remarkable this resurgence is, consider that two months ago, Young suffered a straight-sets sweep at the hands of 382nd-ranked Brit Alex Bogdanovic in the opening round of the Aptos Challenger. It was such a demoralizing defeat that Young concedes he began to question if this type of magic would ever be within reach.
“At times I wasn't winning matches at Challengers and I was losing to guys 300 in the world,” Young said. “To go from losing a first round Challenger in Aptos to the round of 16 of the U.S. Open is great. But you have your highs and lows in tennis. I've definitely had the lows Hopefully I'll have a lot more highs.”