TENNYS SANDGREN
Né le 22 juillet 1991
Nashville, TE
Meilleur classement : 1491 ( 22 mai 2009 )

Meilleur classement Junior : 9ème ( avril 2009 )
Actuellement : 16ème

Quand Nadal mitraille à l'échauffement

TENNIS - Avant de disputer ses matchs, l'Espagnol s'inflige 30minutes d'entraînement d'une rare intensité...

La porte grillagée du court 5 s’ouvre soudainement. Bandeau autour de la tête, écouteurs autour du coup, Rafael Nadal est déjà dans son match. Pardon, son échauffement. La première étape d’une journée qui doit le conduire sur le Central dans l’après-midi, face à Leyton Hewitt. En attendant, le Majorquin ne lâche pas un sourire. Un exercice de trente minutes l’attend. Même en match, rares sont les joueurs qui se dépensent autant que l'Espagnol à l'entraînement.

«J’ai des places pour le Central, mais je préfère voir Nadal s'échauffer que regarder le match de Rezaï, assume un fan. Franchement, c’est plus plaisant.» Pendant que l’oncle Toni distribue les balles, Rafa cogne en cadence. En face, le sparring-partner est aussi tendu qu’avant de jouer le match de sa vie. Le commis du jour, Tennys Sandgren, est un espoir américain. Sa 1.522e place à l’ATP prouve qu’il sait au moins tenir une raquette. De là à lui demander de tenir l’échange…

Toujours vers l'avant

(...)
Le tonton lâche peu de mots. L’élève sait ce qu’il a à faire. Monter en régime et frapper chaque balle comme s’il devait la faire exploser en vol. Après dix minutes d’échange, le sparring est déjà écarlate. En face, rien. Pas une goutte de sueur. Alors, la machine accélère. Au service, en coup droit, en revers, Nadal ne frappe qu’en avançant. Son lift se fait de plus en plus giclant.

Enfin en sudation

Puis entre deux salves, l’artilleur pose enfin ses mains sur ses genoux. Ne pas y voir un signe de fatigue chez le Majorquin. Juste un moment de réflexion. «Comment puis-je dégainer encore plus fort?», doit-il se dire intérieurement. Si si, c’est possible. L’intensité des frappes augmente encore. En face, le martyr s’excuse de ne pas renvoyer les balles. Le souffle d’accompagnement du Majorquin se transforme en râle. L’Espagnol, enfin en nage, cherche maintenant les angles. Toujours plus fort. «Il faut vraiment qu’il se calme. Il a un match derrière, conseille un grand-père ébahi par le spectacle. J’ai jamais vu autant d’intensité sur un terrain de tennis.» Et dire que ce n’est qu’un échauffement...
R.S.

SOURCE

Sandgren hopes to direct brother's path to UT

Tennys Sandgren has a bright future in tennis.

His older brother hopes he'll spend part of it wearing orange.

Sandgren, one of the top 10 junior players in the world, hasn't decided if he'll play college tennis. But if he does, Tennessee is a likely destination - in part because Davey Sandgren plays for the Vols.

"He wants to do the best thing for his tennis career,'' said Davey Sandgren, who recently garnered All-American honors playing doubles with John-Patrick Smith. "Right now, he wants to go pro. But I hope he'll play one semester next spring with his older brother at Tennessee.''

Davey Sandgren, who will be a senior, said it would be a "lot of fun'' to play in college with his brother, who lives in Gallatin. Although Davey Sandgren is four years older, he said the outcome when the two play each other is "pretty close.''

Tennys - named for his great grandfather, not the sport - recently reached the third round of the French Open Juniors, the best of any American. He is scheduled to play in the Wimbledon Juniors.

Tennys Sandgren's world ranking and Grand Slam junior results indicate he's a star on the rise. Davey Sandgren just hopes he makes a stop at Tennessee before embarking on a pro career.

(...)

SOURCE

June 4, 2009, 10:20 am
Nadal’s American Hitting Partner Loses, Too
By John Martin

PARIS — Losing hurts. The pain is the same.

Whether you’re the world’s top-ranked player, Rafael Nadal, or a 17-year-old from Tennessee who practiced with the Spaniard for two full sessions last week.

Tennys Sandgren, the teenager from Gallatin, lost his third-round French Open junior match, 6-4, 6-3, to a German named Becker. Not Boris but Richard Becker.

His opponent’s serves were barely returnable, Sandgren said.

“I was trying to stand back on his kick serves,” he said. “I was back by the chairs, and his kick serves were still over my head.”

Looking a bit weary, Sandgren could still look back on the experience of winning two rounds at his first Grand Slam junior tournament — and hitting with Nadal, whose quest for a fifth consecutive French Open title was cut short on Sunday.

Sandgren’s singles loss, coupled with defeat in a first-round doubles match, means he’ll be leaving the continent, but only for a while.

Sandgren said he is accompanied by his mother, Lia, who doubles as his coach. “I think we might see Paris for a couple days and then head on home,” he said.

Next tournament? Wimbledon.

Life (and tennis) might be a grind from here on, but who cares? He’ll always have Paris.

NY Times

Tennys: more than just a name
30 juillet 2008
Posted by Pam Shebest


KALAMAZOO -- Blueberries and cream are definitely on the menu for Tennys Sandgren next week during the USTA Boys' 18 & 16 National Championships.

And no matter how he fares this year, Sandgren will always be part of the tournament's history after winning the 16s singles title last August, something very special to him.
Three years ago, on his first trip to Kalamazoo, "I saw all the names of the guys who won the 16s and 18s previously, and now to be listed with them is really cool," Sandgren, 17, said.


"To have my name on the trophy is really special."

As the top seed last year, Sandgren, who lives in Gallatin, Tenn., was taken to three sets in four of his seven matches and defeated fourth-seeded Bo Seal, 6-3, 6-2, in the final.
"I had some pretty exciting matches," Sandgren said, laughing. "Some that shouldn't have been that exciting."

And he remembers every one of them, especially in the third round when he defeated unseeded Thomas Pham, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.

"I was down a set and at 4-4 in the second," he said. "Then I came back and won 6-2 in the third."

Sandgren said one of the best things about being a top seed is playing on the front courts at Kalamazoo College's Stowe Stadium.

Action is split between Stowe and Western Michigan University's Sorensen Courts.
By winning the 16s title, he earned entry into the main draw of the Junior U.S. Open, where he lost a first-round match to fifth-seeded Greg Jones, of Australia, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(5).

"It was amazing, extremely fun," Sandgren said. "It was great walking into the players' lounge and seeing all the pros like (Roger) Federer and (Rafael) Nadal."
This year, his first in 18s, he's seeded 10th, but "I still put a little bit of pressure on myself no matter what," he said.

Sandgren has been testing the international tennis scene, playing several ITF tournaments, and has a world junior ranking of 59 -- sixth among Americans in the ITF rankings.

Nationally, he's ranked 22nd among juniors.

He's also played two futures tournaments, qualifying for both and winning a main-draw match in one.

"I got a point (in the pro rankings)," he said facetiously. "When I look (at points of other players), I am so many points away from anywhere."

Sandgren played the qualifiers of the Junior French Open, but lost in the final round. He also competed overseas in February, in Malaysia and Thailand -- "It was very hot," he noted. ( )

"It was a good experience to see what it was like playing overseas. I liked playing in Europe on the red clay, especially in Italy."

But his favorite venue to date is Kalamazoo.

"It's great to play in front of such a large crowd and I'm definitely looking forward to the blueberries and cream," he said.

As for his first name, Sandgren was named after his great-grandfather, Tennys Sandgren, who was born in Manistee in 1896.

So far, the name hasn't drawn much media attention in tournaments.

"There's only so much a name can help you," he said. "I haven't done well enough yet."

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