Well-known American tennis retiree Andy Roddick states that his home nation needs to follow Italy's path in creating "more opportunities" for youngsters coming through the system.
It comes after the USA bowed out in the quarter-finals of the Davis Cup against Lleyton Hewitt's Australia, further prolonging a 17-year wait to lift the prestigious trophy.
Despite five American men cementing themselves in the top-25 of the ATP rankings, Roddick believes economic stress on players and families is part of why the USA should be cautious moving forward.
The former US Open champion shared his thoughts on how America can consistently produce top talent at junior level.
"How do we do it? Let’s start with a lot more opportunities for success [with] futures, challengers and people who are trying to make it in a very cost-effective way," he said on the 'Served with Andy Roddick' podcast. "We are going to stack our country which is smaller than states in America with plenty of opportunity and that mitigates cost.
"A lower ranked player having to fly from Florida, to New York, to Texas to California, that gets expensive very quickly and that’s not even the easiest way to get points as an American. You have to fly overseas to play a challenger in Sri Lanka which may have a watered-down field."
Italy's triumph at last week's Davis Cup ensured they became the first nation to achieve back-to-back titles since Czechia in 2012-2013. Also, the Italian women's team secured the Billie Jean King Cup title to cap off a sensational season for the European country.
But this has been a long-term plan by the Italian tennis body, reducing costs for juniors and creating pathways with Challenger events just some of the initiatives that have made a significant difference.
"This is not a coincidence that Italy wins the BJK and the Davis Cup. It’s not a coincidence. Years ago now they were like 'Okay, how do we tackle player development?' I don’t know if it’s something we have got right in this country [America] for a long time," Roddick said.
"Props to them, because what has happened is not an accident. The right decision has been made, the right investment has been made. Italy is the toast of the tennis world. It starts with Sinner and goes on down."
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