Farmers Classic second seed Sam Querrey could reinstate U.S. dominance in tennis

Not long ago, Americans dominated the ranks of men’s tennis.

Take Saturday night at the Los Angeles Tennis Center as proof positive of that fact. Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, Jim Courier and Michael Chang ““ 20 Grand Slam singles titles among them ““ all took time off from their lives as retirees to play exhibition matches for the fans at the Farmers Classic.

Factor in the likes of Jimmy Connors and a man some regard as the greatest to ever play the game in Pete Sampras, and it’s clear that the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s were not only a golden age for American tennis players, but a period of absolute dominance.

Sampras and Agassi eventually faded off into the sunset, though, leaving tennis devoid of a strong American presence. Booming servers Andy Roddick and John Isner steal the headlines these days ““ Roddick because of his 2003 US Open triumph, Isner for playing one match that spanned three days at Wimbledon ““ but apart from Roddick’s 2003 breakthrough, Americans have surprisingly come up empty in Grand Slams.

Sam Querrey could be the one who changes all of that.

The No. 20-ranked player in the world returns to the LATC this week to defend his Farmers Classic title from last year. The 12 months that have passed since his 2009 triumph have been far from smooth for the 22-year-old Querrey, but his game is definitely better and his enthusiasm for the tournament hasn’t dampened one bit.

“Besides the US Open and the Grand Slams, this is probably my favorite tournament,” Querrey said. “I’ve played it four or five times in a row. I get the home crowd.”

Querrey, along with any fan who has caught a match of his over the last few years at the LATC, knows exactly where the fuel for that home crowd comes from. They’re the fans who call themselves the Samurai: Querrey’s hometown friends who make the journey from Thousand Oaks. Bare-chested and covered in body paint, they lead the cheers on every point he scores. It’s a tradition that started at the LA Tennis Open, and one that will be sure to continue this year.

“We might lose a couple because a lot of my friends now are graduating and got jobs, but there will be some around,” the fan-favorite said with a smile.

While his friends are just graduating from college, Querrey might be in the midst of the best stretch of tennis of his young career. He already has three ATP titles to his name on the year, and one on each surface (grass, clay and hard court) to boot. Most impressive of those wins was the one that came on the grass of Queen’s Club in London. There he took the crown in a field that included Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Roddick.

And while his good friend and doubles partner Isner captivated the world with his fifth-set match-within-a-match, Querrey quietly advanced to the fourth round of Wimbledon before bowing out, securing his best-ever finish in London and tying Roddick for the best American finish in 2010.

His free-flowing style and laid-back personality have been on display all year during this hot streak. His career is most assuredly on an upswing now, and no one knows where the peak might be ““ but all of this might have seemed impossible after one September day in Bangkok last year.

It came two weeks after his third-round exit at the US Open. After finishing a practice session ahead of the Thailand Open, Querrey hit the showers and came out ready to get his shoes back on. Rather than sitting on a chair that he had been in with his sweaty garb, he opted for a glass table nearby. Just before he could put his last shoe on, the glass collapsed and he fell through.

“I didn’t feel anything, but when I looked down, there was a piece of glass sticking in my arm,” Querrey said. “Blood was gushing. My face went white as a ghost, it was just in fear.”

It was his right arm ““ his dominant arm ““ and a significant injury could have ended his career on the spot, but doctors worked quickly to mend Querrey after the glass had severed his muscle, and they delivered the good news.

“There was a couple hours there where I didn’t know if I was going to play again,” he said. “I didn’t know how serious it was, but once I got to the hospital, the doctors said I would be alright in a couple of months.”

Querrey proudly shows off the battle wound now ““ a scar 3 to 4 inches long on his right inside forearm ““ but admits the incident gave him some pause.

“Anything could just be taken away from you,” he said.

Based on his recent run of success, the injury hasn’t hindered his 2010 game much. Querrey was able to compete in the Australian Open just a few months after his injury and even got back to playing for the U.S. Davis Cup team in the World Group stage in March.

Compare Querrey with his current Davis Cup teammate Isner and his former teammate Roddick, and it’s easy to notice the powerful right-handed serving skills each possesses. But when it comes to the other aspects of tennis, Querrey might have both beat right now. His improved presence on other styles of courts has demonstrated his versatility and could be paramount to future success. And his serve and aggressive attacking forehand will always be a force to be reckoned with on the hard courts that he’s grown up on.

It isn’t a competition to become the face of American tennis in Querrey’s eyes, though.

“I want to be the highest ranked player I can be and hopefully the highest ranked American, but I know Roddick doesn’t want to give up that title, and Isner’s right there, and you know James (Blake) and Mardy (Fish) are still in the hunt,” he said.

“Me, (Isner), Roddick, Blake, Fish, the Bryans (Mike and Bob) ““ we’re all really good friends. (Fish) lives in L.A. I go over to his house, he comes over to my house a couple times a week. We’ll have dinner and hang out. They’re some of my best friends.”

Querrey is back not only to defend his title, but also to use the Farmers Classic as a tune-up for future events, namely the upcoming US Open.

“Hopefully, with these four or five tournaments leading up to it, I can play well and go into the Open with a lot of confidence and make a run,” Querrey said. “Maybe to the quarterfinals or even further.”

The path to a Grand Slam is sure to be tough for any American ““ only four players not named Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal have won one in the last six years ““ but at the age of 22, Querrey’s future looks very bright.

The US Open might just be the perfect venue for him to make a splash.

After all, it wasn’t long ago that lesser-known players such as Juan Martin del Potro, Roddick and the legend himself ““ Sampras ““ made their first mark on the tennis world by bringing the crowd at Flushing Meadows to their feet.