Do you remember a time when the state of American professional tennis has looked so dismal?

While the ATP in April 2006 does have three Americans in the top ten, certainly the oft-injured Agi can no longer be seen as a serious contender, having only played 4 matches YTD and lost two of them. Between Rod and Blake’s combined 14 tournaments through mid-April, in only 3 instances did they manage to go beyond the quarter-final round. Rod, the USA’s number one, has yet to even reach a final this year. The women’s side is even more abysmal. When the United States Fed Cup team versus Germany was announced last month, the roster read less like a Who’s Who and more like a WHO??? The highest ranked player is Jill Craybas, who is ranked 39th! The remaining two American women in the top 40 are Davenport at #7 who has played only three events this year and Venus Williams, who has played just one (and lost in the first round). What efforts are being made by the USTA to improve prospects - - or is this a drought we can expect in the near future?