FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. — Donald Young turned pro at 15 amidst an onslaught of hoopla and hype. Since then, it’s been a tumultuous ride, with expectations high and ATP-level results low. There have certainly been a lot more downs than ups. But as his redemptive run at the U.S. Open shows, his story is still unfolding. On Sunday, the now-22-year-old American moved into the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time in his under-the-spotlight career, running lanky Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela ragged in a straight-sets 7-5, 6-4, 6-3 triumph. Donald Young, Sr. tells Inside Tennis that their belief has never wavered.
INSIDE TENNIS: Great result for Donald, upsetting a No. 24 seed. What were your emotions as the match was progressing?
DONALD YOUNG, SR.: A lot of things were going through my mind: ‘Okay, I don’t have to get on a plane. I’m going to be here a little bit longer.’
IT: You guys have been under a lot of pressure over the past seven years, with everyone expecting big things from Donald since the age of 15. Speaking with James Blake yesterday, he reminded me that he didn’t even turn pro until he was 20, after leaving Harvard, and he went on to reach No. 4 in the world. Have you always believed that things would eventually come together for your son, that there was time for him to develop?
DY: I never thought he was going to be No. 1 at 15. But I knew that he would eventually hit his stride. Would he want to lose to a 15-year-old today? No. I knew he would get an opportunity.
IT: Tell me about that belief. I’m sure it’s been hard with all the external pressure.
DY: I always knew it was going to happen. Everybody’s got their agenda, but it never got to the point where we were going to make a change. I never felt we needed a change. I knew that if he kept believing in himself, it would happen. But it was a little bit tough because he was having to deal with all this negative commentary. But that was good, actually. Because without that negative publicity, there wouldn’t have been opportunities for kids like Sam Querrey, Ryan Harrison and all those guys to come up. The federations, the USTA, said, “Hey, we need to take a little more interest in helping these kids.” Before, that just didn’t happen.
IT: What has the learning curve been like for you?
DY: Did we make some mistakes? Yes, we made mistakes. But that’s just growing. Did we ever think that he was not going to do something? No. Did we think that at 15, 16 even 17 that he was going to make it to the top then? No. But he had so many people in his ear — he didn’t know what to believe.
IT: What about the now infamous tweet [in which, after a loss at a Roland Garros wildcard playoff in Boca Raton, Fla., he told American tennis’ governing body, “F–— USTA! Their full of s—! They have screwed me for the last time!”]?
DY: To be honest with you that tweet was him being fed up. ‘I’m tired of it. I’m tired of everyone beating on me, beating on my daddy.’ You know what? It is what it is. You move on.
IT: You think it was a spark for him? Was that just him saying, “You know what, we’re going to do it the way we want to do it?”
DY: And if it happens, it happens. A lot of the things from a lot of the people around us were maybe not all positive. We needed to figure out a way to make it work.
IT: His mantra this week has been, “Everybody’s light comes on when it’s their own time.” Where did that come from?
DY: You have to do it at your own pace and not worry about what everyone else is saying. Be patient and it will happen.
