THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., July 11 (UPI) -- Sam Querrey, an 18-year-old tennis player who turned pro just last month, has been touted by experts as the next big U.S. star for the sport.
Querrey, whose 135-mph serve and strong forearm won two of the three tournaments he has played in since turning pro, could be the answer to the USTA's fears that the U.S. tennis talent pool is drained, The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.
"I'm a big believer in Sam Querrey. He's the real deal," Eliot Teltscher, the director of High Performance, the United States Tennis Association's player-development program, told the newspaper. "Whether he'll be No. 1 or No. 10, or No. 50, we don't know yet. But is the potential there? Absolutely."
The USTA had fallen under criticism after players Andy Roddick, James Blake and Donald Young lost in the third round at Wimbledon.
Querrey has given the USTA reason to hope, climbing from No. 1,146 in ATP rankings to No. 207 in less than a year.
"I don't really know what other people's expectations are, but mine are definitely getting higher every day," he said to the Times.
