There are only four U.S. tournaments that the very best players in the world play every year - Palm Springs, Miami, Cincinnati, and the U.S. Open. So how would golf or NFL or NHL fare if there were only four times a year that their very best were visible? Tennis went international, and for us to expect it to be popular media-wise is very naïve. And that translates into children and families being interested.

Focusing on one thing can be tough, and people with fewer options are more apt to concentrate on what they're doing. There's probably something to hunger.

There are certainly great cities in America that don't have ATP and WTA events. Our fans are very provincial. They want American champions.

Even the poor can be fat in the U.S. That says something about a country. That's how incredible what we have is. But it can also take away incentive.

There are things we can't control - like the wins and the losses.

America has an interesting global role, don't we? It certainly seems to be changing. Our government right now has a softer hand than we've had in the past, but I still think that we're the global behemoth.

It does take a great hunger to be successful at anything.