KING RICHARD AND THE FUTURE OF THE US OPEN.

By Javier Palenque

If you are a tennis fan, of course, you know who the greatest coach of all time is; Mr. Richard Williams. A genius and determined man who quickly learned that he was in the wrong business, and without any formal education in tennis or business, crafted a 78-page plan for her girls yet to be born (Venus and Serena) to go from Compton to Wimbledon. The movie is a fantastic representation of family, sacrifice, the American dream, and of course the boundless human spirit of will power. I could watch the movie several times just to learn more things from it for the pleasure of coaching my kids. I strongly recommend you watch it for the star, the story and to lift your spirit.

This article is not about those elements of the movie or a review of the movie. I write to put in perspective tennis in the American Culture and the failure of the world’s best-funded sports nonprofit (the USTA) in understanding the game and its position in our Americana culture and how the USTA is by its stupidity is putting the US Open in danger for tennis and the sport overall for decades to come. This of course means the disappearance of the sport or its complete irrelevance to all younger generations.

Let me explain as you are probably perplexed by my assertions. Here are some facts to know about movies before I attempt to…