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There was a time, more than half his lifetime ago, when Donald Young was the best tennis-playing kid in the world and all the hype was coming at him from all corners.

After the 2005 Australian Open – nearly 20 years ago – the junior champion (who notably defeated Marin Cilic in the quarterfinals) stood at No. 1 in the world.

He was still 15, and the future was golden. He kept playing the juniors, and he did make the semifinals at the US Open juniors in 2006 (a match we actually saw, because he was beaten 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-3 by Canadian Peter Polansky)

The next year, in his only junior event of 2007, he won the Wimbledon junior title.

Young was already inside the top 300 in the ATP rankings by then. And by the end of 2007, he was in the top 100.

The road to the top has potholes

And you would have thought, that was just the start.

But it was arduous; it took him until July, 2012 to get to the top 50. And while he was a viable player on Tour, staying in the top 100 for another six years until he was close to 30, it never really happened for him. His career high, in 2012, was No. 38.

That’s a story in itself; but there are a lot of junior phenoms that never quite fulfill that potential in the pros. And he was one of them. And there was the requisite drama with the USTA – something he has in common with his friend Townsend.

Young’s parents, Donald Sr. and Ilona, were everpresent and, as is the case with so many tennis parents, probably were one of the factors.

Here they are with Young and Townsend, practicing together 7 1/2 years ago at Indian Wells.

Young was ranked near his career high at the time; Townsend, just 20 at the time, was ranked No. 110 and a had a wild card into the main draw.

But the Youngs have helped create a legacy in American tennis – not only having taken Townsend under their wing, but also with Chris Eubanks.

Eubanks, not a prodigy by any definition, went on tour with Young before he headed off the college, as a hitting partner. He got experience there that he would never have enjoyed otherwise.

The Final Finale

Young still has a ranking – he’s at No. 1350. But that’s only temporary.

His last singles match came at a Challenger in Charleston two weeks after last year’s US Open. His last Grand Slam appearance was at the Australian Open qualifying in 2020. And his last ATP Tour-level match at Delray Beach in Jan. 2021.

He’s moved over to pickleball some. And this finale is really a nice gesture by the USTA, which he and Townsend have made the most of.

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