It’s difficult to decide which is worse, Ryan Harrison’s temper tantrums or his denial about having them.
The 19-year-old put on another trademark display on Monday in the first round of the U.S. Open, smashing and kicking tennis balls in frustration and finding new and creative ways to throw his racket in a 6-2, 7-5, 7-6 (6) opening-round loss to No. 27 seed Marin Cilic.
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For those who’d seen Harrison at the Legg Mason Classic earlier this month — or in Los Angeles the week before that — the scene was an all too familiar one. Even in Harrison’s victory over Mischa Zverev in Rock Creek Park, he was smashing balls and turning the crowd against him, the same way he did in Flushing Meadows. In L.A., he broke a racket in a semifinal loss to Mardy Fish.
To Harrison, it’s just part of the game. It was only last week that he said, “I’m kind of getting more experience with each one and learning how to kind of control myself a little better.”
Fellow members of the tour haven’t exactly held him to task either.
“He’s a very good competitor, and he absolutely hates losing,” John Isner said during the Legg Mason. “I think that’s going to be the one thing that’s going to carry him to his success for most of his career, the fact that he competes pretty well.”
Having risen from being ranked No. 173 to No. 66 in the world since January, Harrison is often mentioned as the future of American tennis. Too bad he’s not maturing at the same rate as his game.
– Craig Stouffer
