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Tennis' New All-American Sweetheart
Seventeen-year-old blond phenom Melanie Oudin has taken the U.S. Open by storm. The Daily Beast’s Danielle Friedman, who hails from the same Georgia town as Oudin, talks to friends and locals about the “warm” and “lovely” rising tennis star.
It has all the trappings of a great American fairy tale.
Young, earnest, hardworking girl follows her passion, defies the odds, and wows the world. In almost American Idol-like fashion, she develops an instant fan base and puts her quiet hometown on the map. Yet unlike some reality show winners who’ve recently won our hearts (ahem, Susan Boyle), the blond tennis phenom Melanie Oudin is in no need of a makeover.
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In less than a week, Oudin, 17, has risen to become tennis’ new American sweetheart, as match after match she’s beaten Russians like she’s Rocky Balboa in Rocky IV. (That said, Rocky might never have been able to pull off funky pink sneakers inscribed with the word “Believe.”) After defeating powerhouses Elena Dementieva, Maria Sharapova, and Nadia Petrova in thrilling, come-from-behind matches, Oudin will now be the youngest woman in a decade to make it into the open quarterfinals. Not since Serena Williams achieved the same feat in 1999—before going on to win the tournament, also at 17—has the country had a new ingénue to cheer about in women’s tennis.
Indeed, broadcasters haven’t missed an opportunity to point out Oudin’s All-American roots. She hails from Marietta, Georgia—a manicured, upper-middle-class city north of Atlanta that also happens to be my hometown. Quiet and suburban, the area boasts endless high-end strip malls and an equal number of Baptist churches. At my big, public high school, football was king; we hosted four competitive cheerleading squads and two beauty pageants.
Still, Marietta hasn’t churned out too many professional athletes. While Dikembe Mutombo lived in the area when he played for the Hawks and Gerald Riggs while he played for the Falcons, among a handful of other big names, they moved to Marietta once they’d arrived. So for locals, Oudin’s rise has been especially exhilarating.
“It’s beyond amazing,” said Justin Snider, who has known Oudin since kindergarten and attends high school with her twin sister, Katherine Oudin. (Snider and his classmates respond to my questions with, “yes, ma’am,” in typical Southern fashion.)
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Danielle Friedman has worked as a nonfiction book editor for Hudson Street Press and Plume, two imprints of Penguin Group. Her writing has been published in the Miami Herald, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and on CNN.com. She is a graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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Danielle Friedman has worked as a nonfiction book editor for Hudson Street Press and Plume, two imprints of Penguin Group. Her writing has been published in the Miami Herald, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and on CNN.com. She is a graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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Danielle Friedman has worked as a nonfiction book editor for Hudson Street Press and Plume, two imprints of Penguin Group. Her writing has been published in the Miami Herald, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and on CNN.com. She is a graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
rlwesty
Hmmm! A tennis player coming out of an upper-middle class lily white suburb? I'm shocked, shocked. And, of course, the WIlliams sisters are not "the girl next door." For that to happen, you'd have to live in one of *those* neighborhoods.
timeflies
"Still, Marietta hasn't churned out too many professional athletes."
Really? Watch much tennis? Pssst, on the men's side is Robby Ginepri. Beyond that, a baker's dozen pro athletes from various sports call Marietta home.
And above poster obviously knows little about metro Atlanta = a majority black, upper middle class black area with an enormous number of tennis players of all races. Nothing "lily white" about it.
newroc
Great information on an up and coming tennis star! I loved the personal touch of the writer and the "star" growing up in the same town. I enjoy watching Oudin play, and I'm so happy to hear from her friends that she is down to earth. I can't imagine Serena squeegeeiing a tennis court!
reggiereg
I can't tell you how sick I get of hearing these tag-lines "All-American" and "sweetheart" assigned to certain segments of our society. Please find an article where the reigning US Open, Australian Open and Wimbledon singles champion, Serena Williams is described as "All-American". Please get a life.
jlask001
What a perfect articulation of this lovely story! It hit at the heart of America's enthusiasm for this rising star!
gunapie
I am for Marietta, Ga too. This is the biggest thing to happen here since the construction of the Big Chicken resturant or Sherman's march througt town. Did mention we built the Enola Gay? Dad put on the wings.
gunapie
Oh, I forgot to mention, Marietta, Cobb County is also the place that put sitckers in the school biology books roughly stating that Darwin was FUCKED UP, because the Earth is only 6,000 years old - go read you BIBLE.
reggiereg
I think you throw the term "All-American" too much. It's deeply offensive to those of us not born in the South/Midwest, white, and blueish eyes/blonde hair. The reigning U.S Open/Wimbledon/Australian Open champion (Serena Williams) is also from the United States. Find an article for me that describes her as "All-American".
penscott
You left out one of the Russians she beat.
The first was Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
masterblaster
First of all, there have been at least two "sweethearts" since Chris Evert--I think of Tracy Austin and Andrea Yeager just off the top of my head, and, of course, this is only if your definition of "sweetheart" means country-club girl, preferably with blond hair..
Also, if your writer is going to bring up the fact that the Williams sisters aren't generally thought of as "sweethearts" by many in the tennis community, then you might want to investigate why, rather than assert it as if it were their fault.
MsMeena
The condescending overtone and unbalanced reporting notwithstanding, is this supposed to be a sports story or a debutante announcement? It's a shame that Friedman used the phenomenal Williams sisters as foils to endear Oudin to readers: it will take a while before I'll be able to watch her play without thinking of Scarlett O'Hara.
jong345
"I've never heard the Williams sisters referred to as sweethearts."
I don't want to take anything away from this underdog story, but the only reason Serena isn't considered a sweetheart is her voluptuous body and black skin. Anyone who's heard her or her sister Venus talk can attest that they have always had an aw-shucks quality about them that's definitely all-American.
Again, I don't want to take anything away from this great story of a young girl achieving her goals, but that Beadle quote was pretty ridiculous. There's a reason no one calls James Blake the boy-next-door either, even though every girl I know thinks he's adorable. I'm just calling a spade a spade, cuz that's how I sees em.
Dan047
"For American women's tennis, Oudin's arrival has been a long time coming. Not since the 1970s, when Chris Evert rose to the top of the pro-tennis scene, has this country seen such a girl-next-door-style sweetheart in the sport."
I have to concur with the readers above. That statement is the most outrageous or down right ignorant statement I have heard about American Tennis. The Williams sister are as All-American and Apple Pie as you can get. And to insinuate that we've been waiting since Chris Evert is absolutely insulting.
I suggest Danielle Friedman do a little more research on her topics before she starts gushing on the latest hype.
I agree, Melanie Oudin has accomplished no small feat. And for that I whole-heartedly congratulate her and will be cheering her on tonight. But please, let's not put her in the same league as the Williams' sisters. She's got a long ways to go to be in that league!
darwinism
we can elect a black man president, but not a black sister(s) as america's sweetheart.
pclayton
What exactly is the definition of "all-American"? Does it mean "blond hair, blue eyes and freckles"? Does it mean "fierce competitor"? Does it mean "came up through the ranks"? It's apparent that the term is used in a complimentary way in this article; however, seeing as most American athletes are people of color (although maybe not yet in tennis, despite Arthur Ashe Stadium) the term is antiquated and perhaps even a little racist. Please, spare us the mom and apple pie stuff.
I really enjoyed watching Melanie play the game and hope she will be around for a long time. What I find most admirable about her is not that she comes from an upper middle-class family that can afford to put their kids in private schools, hire good coaches and live in a town that cranks out athletes, but that she is only17 years old and has the dedication, confidence, and spirit to get so far and compete with the best. Thankfully Melanie has the degree of support one needs to excel. She has set a great example for female teenagers and I wish her much success!
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