Ryan Harrison, Mardy Fish, and the Next Big Thing

The US Open Series is into the third week, and the two players that have had the best start have been two Americans, Mardy Fish, and Ryan Harrison. Fish, ranked number 9 in the world, won in Atlanta and lost Ernests Gulbis in the final in Los Angeles. Harrison, who was ranked outside the top 100 but is now 82 because of two consecutive semifinal finishes, losing to Mardy Fish both times. In Los Angeles, Fish defeated Harrison in a third set tiebreak, and the match provided an excellent snapshot of two careers, one maximized and one rising. After the jump we'll look at both men's careers up until this point, where they're heading, and the perils of looking for "The Next Big Thing"



Mardy Fish, now the number one American male, has been in the sport of tennis for a long time. He turned professional in 2000, and along with his good friend Andy Roddick, he was viewed as the successor to the generation of American tennis players that included Sampras, Agassi, Chang, and Courier. At first, it appeared as if the onlookers were correct. Andy Roddick won the 2003 US Open, rose to number one in the world, and Mardy Fish was showing tremendous promise. However, with the rise of Roger Federer, Roddick quickly lost that spot. Fish, for his part, had ups and downs, but could never rise to the level that many predicted for him. Injuries cost him a significant portion of his career, and it looked for a long time that he would never reach the top of the game. Then in 2008 he rededicated himself, and with the help of a new diet and increased fitness level, he was able to work his way up to number 8 in the world, a feat that very few tennis observers would have predicted. He did this with almost no hype, no expectations. He played freely, worked hard, and, most importantly, was incredibly consistent. He's still playing at an extremely high level, and no one knows how long he will keep it up. However, no matters what happens next, Fish has nothing to be ashamed about. He's maximized his career, an accomplishment few players truly reach.

This brings us to Ryan Harrison, the 19 year old upstart. He is being touted as a future top player, and for good reason. His forehand is huge, he's quick around the court, and most importantly, he shows determination every time he's out there on the court. That's the upside. The downside is his backhand can be attacked, and his serve is streaky. He has already had some near misses at accomplishing huge upsets at majors. This year, he took two time French open finalist Robin Soderling to four sets in Paris, and at Wimbledon he took David Ferrer to five sets. He's shown that he can bring it in the majors, but what separates a dangerous floater from a top 25 player is consistency. Fish has developed that, and for Harrison to make that jump, he'll have to develop it. To that end, Atlanta and Los Angeles were encouraging for Harrison, reaching the semifinals in both. He'll develop, for sure, but to the end that he's 'The Next Big Thing', only time will tell.