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Jared Donaldson

48K views 317 replies 33 participants last post by  Jivuzukoc 
#1 ·
Perhaps the creation of this thread is a bit premature. But yesterday Jared prevailed over Farukh Dustov in the first round of the US Open qualies, and today he plays Ilya Marchenko.

I don't think a win against Marchenko is very likely. But, hey, the kid is only 16 and he picked up an ATP win. Nothing to sniff at. Let's keep an eye on this kid.

 
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#118 ·
Will play the Bryans in R2.

A late-arriving spectator to Court 4 on Thursday was puzzled at the men’s doubles match before her.

“It looks like there’s one man playing with three kids on the court today,” said Melanie Seaman of Rockville Centre, N.Y.

She was not wrong.

In an all-American first-round match, Michael Russell, 36, was playing with Jared Donaldson, 17, against Stefan Kozlov 16, and Noah Rubin, 18. With Tommy Haas of Germany sidelined by injuries, Russell is the oldest active singles player on the men’s tour, according to ATP records. Donaldson, Kozlov and Rubin are among the top American juniors.

Russell said his unusual pairing with Donaldson came about because he was impressed by Donaldson’s play and asked him to apply for a wild-card entry to the doubles tournament. The 6-foot-2 Donaldson towered over the 5-8 Russell on the court.

“It was nice to play with somebody who has a lot of experience because I usually play doubles with younger guys,” said Donaldson, who lost in the first round of the singles draw to Gaël Monfils of France.

Donaldson added that younger players like himself “are very emotional.”

“They have high ups and high downs,” he said. “Michael was pretty level throughout the match, and that really helped me.”

Russell’s experience was evident as he poached persistently to cut off at least six shots to score winners as he and Donaldson overcame the loss of the first set to advance, 2-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4.

“He’s a great competitor, and he was there the whole time,” Kozlov said of Russell. “He didn’t really go away.”

Russell said frequent errors on service returns left him frustrated, but “Jared was mature enough to be patient with me.”

After playing against his peers in the first round, Donaldson will be the odd man out in the second round. Russell and Donaldson will play the top seeds, Bob and Mike Bryan, twins who were born two days before Russell.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/29/s...three-juniors-a-seniors-experience-shows.html


 
#119 ·
He is in boy's Q Final and looks to see if he ...
 
#124 ·
If he keep things up that should make it to AO Qualifying draw
 
#127 ·
Would love to see JD play the Davis Cup someday :)


R.I. star Jared Donaldson making the jump to professional tennis
http://www.providencejournal.com/sp...on-making-the-jump-to-professional-tennis.ece
Like any proud parent, Courtney Donaldson can vividly recall the first time his young son displayed some eye-opening athletic ability.

Matched up against a 13-year-old in a local tennis event, 6-year-old Jared fell into a deep hole but showed some rare grit and battled back for a victory. By the time he was 10, Jared was winning national events. A few years later he was ranked the top 12-year-old in the country.

“As a young kid Jared showed some amazing hand-eye coordination and we chose this tennis path, but it’s clearly evolved,” Courtney Donaldson said. “He’s come a long, long way.”

After a childhood spent chasing tennis balls in more than 30 countries on five continents, 17-year-old Jared Donaldson is set to live out his dreams. Now ranked 342nd in the world in the ATP rankings and third among United States players younger than 21, the Chepachet native has decided to say no to a college scholarship and turn pro.

“My dream was always to be a professional athlete,” Donaldson says. “Tennis is calling my name and this is my time.”

Donaldson has chased the often-lonely life of a tennis child prodigy for years now. He spent three years training in Argentina and playing Futures events across the globe. Last fall some challenges with his serve led him to the Dent Tennis Academy in Fountain Valley, Calif. He now lives and trains with former pro Taylor Dent, whose father, Phil, is known as a service guru. After nearly a year of work, Taylor Dent sees Donaldson as a future star.

“If we project out at the rate he’s progressing, I’d be disappointed if Jared isn’t playing Davis Cup for the United States,” Dent said. “I have seen huge gains in player quality. He had the potential to make a monster jump and it was all on him. He put the work in. Jared has the personality and the focus to be a success.”

The jump Dent refers to has elevated Donaldson from a promising teen chased by schools like North Carolina, Duke, Ohio State and UCLA to a different level. After being ranked 1,206th by the ATP in March 2013, Donaldson has cracked the top 400. His breakout performance came at last month’s U.S. Open in New York. Playing as a wildcard entry into the main draw, Donaldson faced 20th-seeded Gael Monfils in his first-round match. As he walked into the Grandstand stadium, he says he owned more excitement than nerves. Once the crowd saw that the American youngster could put a scare (he ended up with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 loss) into a ranked foe, he became the darling of the night.

“I didn’t know what to expect, but the atmosphere was electric,” Donaldson said. “I went out and saw the crowd and felt that energy and it was just really, really exciting.”

Donaldson and veteran Michael Russell won a first-round doubles match but lost to top-seeded Mike and Bob Bryan in the second round. On a down note, he went in as the third seed in the U.S. Junior Open and after breezing through his first two matches was upset by Australian Omar Jasika, who went on to win the event.

“It’s tennis. I went in hoping to win for sure, but I just got beat,” Donaldson said.

Asked what his pupil learned the most from his stay in New York, Dent said that “Jared not only held his own, he was controlling parts of that match [against Monfils]. He learned that he’s not as far away as he thought he was.”

Ever since the Open, Donaldson has been back in California with Dent, Dent’s wife, Jenny, and their two young boys. Donaldson lives in an apartment at the Dents’ home in Fountain Valley and is working at the academy for six or more hours a day.

“I really like it out in California,” he says. “I’ve never had a little brother, and now I have two with the Dents. I help around the house a little and Taylor has really helped me grow on and off the court. He went through things as a pro that I’m dealing with now, so he’s been invaluable.”

One of the duo’s first trips together came in December, to Dubai. A USTA official contacted Donaldson and asked if he’d like to train for a few weeks with Roger Federer. Needless to say, they jumped at the chance.

“Federer treated me great. He was such a normal guy,” Donaldson said. “I saw how he trains and how hard he works, and it just shows you what you need to do to be great. I also saw him with his kids and family, and he’s really a nice person.”

Donaldson says that, besides holidays and the rare break in his schedule, he doesn’t get home to Chepachet. His parents long ago signed off on seeing their son chase his dream, with the only provision that he keep working toward graduating from high school. He’s on time to do so this spring.

“It’s tough not spending as much time at home as I should,” he said. “I know I gave up a lot, but I’m not disappointed at all. I don’t regret the path I picked. Tennis is my job and my life now. It takes a lot of discipline, but it’s a lot of fun. It’s what I’ve always dreamed of doing.”
 
#129 ·
Potential star Donaldson gains 'special' victory

http://norcaltennisczar.blogspot.com/2014/09/potential-star-donaldson-gains-special.html?m=1
NAPA, Calif. -- They were two of the few Americans in a stadium far from home.

The scene was the 5,500-seat Center Court at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club, known as the "Cathedral of Argentine Tennis" in a nation that has produced Guillermo Vilas, Gabriela Sabatini, David Nalbandian and Juan Martin del Potro.

Wayne Odesnik, a lucky loser and the only U.S. player in the draw, was facing Nalbandian at night in the first round of the 2012 Copa Claro, a clay-court tournament on the ATP World Tour.
In the stands was Jared Donaldson, an obscure 15-year-old junior player from that noted tennis hotbed of Rhode Island, with his father, Courtney. They had recently moved to Buenos Aires so the lanky Jared could train on clay and work on his movement and point construction.
Two and a half years later, Donaldson faced Odesnik on the court Wednesday at the beautiful Napa Valley Country Club and advanced to his first Challenger quarterfinal.
It won't go down as a classic. Donaldson converted only 35 percent of his first serves, and Odesnik retired with an inflamed left big toe with Donaldson leading 6-2, 3-1, 30-0. But it was poignant for Donaldson.

Odesnik, a 28-year-old left-hander from Florida who was suspended for one year in 2010 for importing human growth hormone into Australia, might be the only American man or woman who lists clay as his or her favorite surface. He lost 6-2, 6-3 to Nalbandian, the 2002 Wimbledon runner-up and former world No. 3 who retired last year at 31 after numerous injuries.

"It's funny, actually," Donaldson recalled. "When I was down there, I didn't know I was going to be as good as I am now or as good as I could be. I was just playing tennis and looking up to a lot of those guys playing down there and saying, 'Another American is in Argentina; he's playing.' I thought that was really cool. Now that I have the chance to play these guys, it's pretty special for me."

Also advancing Wednesday was Liam Broady, a 20-year-old left-hander from Great Britain who defeated 2013 Napa semifinalist Alex Kuznetsov of Tampa, Fla., 7-6 (6), 6-4. Kuznetsov had a set point in the tiebreaker on Broady's serve and led 4-1 (one service break) in the second set.

In Friday's quarterfinals, Donaldson will play hard-serving Julian Lenz, a 21-year-old German qualifier, and Broady will meet second-seeded Tim Smyczek of Tampa, Fla. The other quarterfinal matchups will be determined today.

Under the tutelage of former top-25 player Taylor Dent, the 6-foot-2 (1.88-meter) Donaldson suddenly has emerged as the United States' top male prospect at 17. He and junior rival Collin Altamirano of Sacramento trained with Roger Federer for two weeks last December in Dubai, where the Swiss star has a residence.

At No. 342 in the world, Donaldson is the second-youngest player in the top 350 after No. 140 Borna Coric of Croatia. They will turn 18 on Oct. 9 and Nov. 14, respectively.

Donaldson won three consecutive Futures titles (in four weeks) in June and qualified for his first main draw on the elite ATP World Tour in Washington, D.C., before losing to 30-year-old American Rajeev Ram 6-7 (1), 6-4, 7-5 in the opening round.

Donaldson turned pro last month just before the U.S. Open, allowing him to pocket $35,754 for losing to 20th-seeded Gael Monfils of France 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 in the first round as a wild card at Flushing Meadows. Monfils advanced to the quarterfinals and had two match points against Federer in a five-set loss.

Donaldson trained in Buenos Aires for 2 1/2 years and said it helped his game "tremendously." Andy Murray left his native Scotland at 15 and practiced on clay in sunny Barcelona, Spain, for the same amount of time.

Shortly after Donaldson returned to the United States early last year, he reached the final of the USTA Boys 18 National Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich. Donaldson fell to Altamirano, who's 10 months older, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 in the title match but routed him in their next meeting less than a year later, 6-2, 6-1, en route to the title of the $15,000 Oklahoma City Futures.

"At Kalamazoo, when I lost in the finals to him, it was really my breakout tournament. Same thing for him. I was never really the best (junior). I was good, but I wasn't the best or even close to it, to be honest. But I've been working really, really hard because I've always wanted to be really, really good," the candid Donaldson said of his turnaround against Altamirano.

"My goal is to win Slams eventually, so I've been working really, really hard, and I've just been trying to be a professional my entire career. Even when I wasn't labeled a professional, I was training like one and had the mindset of a professional."

Donaldson began working with Dent last November after attending his academy in Fountain Valley in the Los Angeles area.

The affable Dent is the 33-year-old son of Australian Phil Dent, who lost to Jimmy Connors in the final of the 1974 Australian Open, and American Betty Ann (Grubb) Stuart, who reached the women's doubles final in the 1977 U.S. Open with transsexual Renee Richards. Taylor Dent is married to former WTA player Jennifer Hopkins.

Dent, a rare serve-and-volleyer, reached a career-high No. 21 in the world in 2005 before undergoing three back operations. He returned to the top 100 in 2009 but retired the following year at 29.

"He's helped me in a number of aspects," Donaldson said. "He's been a great influence on my serve. That's the real reason I went to him at first. My serve was a huge liability. Even though I didn't showcase it (Wednesday) as well as I would have liked, it has really become a strength in my game. Before, I never had confidence in it. Now, even when I don't have good days like (Wednesday), I still have confidence that I'm going to go up to the line and hit a really good first serve.

"He's also helped me with my forehand, my backhand, my net game, my mental game, my defense, everything. He's been a huge influence on me on the court and also off the court. He was a 17-year-old, too, coming up and playing on the tour. Also, he's just a really, really nice person. I'm lucky that I have him around."

Training with Federer in Dubai reinforced Dent's instructions about court positioning, opening up the court, accuracy on groundstrokes and serves, and defense.

"I hadn't been working with him that long," Donaldson noted. "Not that I didn't believe him or have confidence in what he was saying, but I was still unsure. Look, I'm a pretty stubborn person. If someone tells me something, I don't just blindly accept it. I really need to understand it and believe it if I'm going to implement it into my game. I was a little hesitant about what he was saying. I didn't have full faith in it.

"When I saw that Federer was doing the same things that I was trying to work on -- obviously he was doing it at a much higher level -- it gave me a lot of confidence in Taylor. I said, 'Taylor's right. He's telling me the truth. He's telling me what I need to hear.' "

Donaldson began playing at 4 years old at the Kirkbrae Country Club in Lincoln, a suburb of Providence in the smallest state in area in the United States. The club has four hardcourts but, despite the snowy winters, none indoors.

"My mom took my sister and me to the pool every single day," said Donaldson, whose father owned a construction company. "One day, I just wandered over to the tennis courts, picked up a racket and started playing. I played for five hours a day for a week in a row. My mom was like, 'Well, Jared, where do you go? I don't see you.' 'I go and play tennis.' 'Oh, really? For that long?'

"My parents saw that I took an interest in tennis, and they started (paying for) private lessons. One thing led to another, and here I am."
On the ATP World Tour web site, Donaldson says he'd be a poker player if he weren't a touring pro in tennis.

"I really like playing poker, and I've studied the game pretty in-depth," he said.
Donaldson attributes his interest to the "Moneymaker Effect."
"When I was 6, I was watching ESPN, and I saw Moneymaker win the main event," Donaldson said. "I was like, 'Poker looks fun,' so I started playing."
Will Donaldson reach tennis stardom? He's betting on it.
 
#131 ·
And into the top 300.
 
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#133 ·
Won 6-2 3-0 ret. JD looked good, came out swinging like always. Not sure what was wrong with de Bakker. Up next is 29-yo Luca Vanni, good luck.

Also congrats to JD for cracking the top 300 this week (299). With the win today, ranking projected ~280. Getting closer to the AO qualifying cut :)
 
#134 ·
Good chance of beating Vanni too, nice win for JD tonight even if De Bakker wasn't totally at his best
 
#138 ·
Poor showing by JD, but another good tournament. Expected a tighter match today, but he was always going to be up against it.
 
#145 ·
Into a third against Smyczek, really should have won this by now, his opponent hasn't played well. Too many errors by JD
 
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