Last month I coached the Western Michigan Junior Davis Cup team to a 3rd place finish (14 teams) in the Midwest Section. Among the players on the team were several who have played in USTA National events and all have aspirations to qualify for Kalamazoo in August. In surveying this group of players I asked their opinion on professionals competing in the Nationals. To a man, they welcomed the idea and are excited to see the likes of Brendan Evans, Alex Kuznetsov, and Donald Young on the courts at Stowe Stadium. They feel it makes for a better tournament and having the best Americans playing together is a good thing.

I agree! Only a few players are good enough to make a living playing on the pro circuit before their junior days are over. Why exclude them from the best junior tournaments? Playing college tennis is still the goal of 99.9% of today's players. By providing an opportunity for our country's best amateur players to compete against a few pros gives both a measuring stick to gauge their development.

Source: Timon Corwin