McEnroe, wildcard hopeful tweet war of words
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One of America's most respected names in tennis and one its top young hopefuls are using the media - social and traditional - in a war of words over a wildcard spot for the French Open.
Patrick McEnroe demanded an apology from Donald Young when he all but called Young an ingrate with an overbearing family.
Young began the verbal sparring with an expletive-laden blast at the US Tennis Association via Twitter after he lost last on Friday in the final of a tournament that determined who would receive the USTA's wildcard into the French Open. It channeled the hit Cee Lo song - the scrubbed-up version of which is called "Forget You" on most family radio stations.
"(Expletive) USTA! Their full of (expletive)! They have (expletive) me for the last time!" Young wrote after his loss to Tim Smyczek.
McEnroe, the head of the USTA's player development program, countered with the same basic message, minus the swearing, by saying he was offended and calling for Young to apologize if he wants to continue his relationship with the USTA.
"I'm offended for people on our team that have worked very hard," McEnroe said. "When he said what he said, it was taken quite personally by members of the player development team. I think Donald should apologize for what he said. At that point, we can all move on."
McEnroe detailed a list of grant money, coaching and training opportunities Atlanta-based Young has received from the USTA since 2005. But Young also has stayed under the tutelage of his parents, Donald Sr. and Illona, and that has caused tension over the years, as the parents and the USTA have differed on the best training regimen for the 21-year-old player.
But Young wasn't looking ahead when he tweeted on Friday. A bit after the expletive-filled post, Young followed up by tweeting, "That tweet was out of character. ive never been like that before. but im tired of it. sry about the language, but not the thought behind it."
By the weekend, he had shut down his Twitter account. McEnroe, meanwhile, spent the weekend stewing.
Though McEnroe wasn't shutting any doors on Young, he sounded fed up with what has been a long-running soap opera between the USTA and Young's family.
"We would like to at least feel like we get, 'Hey, thanks for helping me out,'" McEnroe said.
"Unfortunately, we haven't heard that enough, if at all."
