# Donald Young (tennis)
**Donald Young** is an American professional tennis player, a left-hander from Chicago who became the youngest boy ever to win a junior [Grand Slam](https://www.edgepedia.org/grand-slam-tennis) title and to be ranked No. 1 in the ITF junior world rankings, and who later spent nearly two decades on the [ATP Tour](https://www.edgepedia.org/atp-tour), reaching a career-high singles ranking of No. 38 in February 2012 before retiring at the 2024 US Open.[1](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2005-01-30/young-gun-makes-history-in-melbourne/628620) • [2](https://funwhileitlasted.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2016-World-Team-Tennis-Media-Guide.pdf) • [3](https://www.atptour.com//en/news/young-us-open-2024-retirement-tribute)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Junior breakthrough | Won the 2005 Australian Open boys' singles title, defeating top seed Kim Sun-Yong of South Korea 6-2, 6-4 in one hour and 11 minutes[1](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2005-01-30/young-gun-makes-history-in-melbourne/628620) |
| Records at 15 | Aged 15 years 191 days, the youngest junior to win a Grand Slam title and the youngest No. 1 in the history of the junior world rankings; also the first African American boy to be ranked junior No. 1[1](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2005-01-30/young-gun-makes-history-in-melbourne/628620) • [4](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/2005/02/03/young-makes-history-with-no-1-junior-ranking/2516f2c0-69de-49df-8f24-2626c86bf045/) |
| Career-high rankings | No. 38 in singles (February 2012) and No. 100 in doubles (September 2015)[2](https://funwhileitlasted.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2016-World-Team-Tennis-Media-Guide.pdf) |
| Tour-level wins | 124 tour-level match wins, including three against Top 10 opponents[3](https://www.atptour.com//en/news/young-us-open-2024-retirement-tribute) |
| Finals | Reached two ATP Tour singles finals; also a Grand Slam doubles finalist, becoming the fourth African-American male in the sport's history to reach a major final, after Arthur Ashe, MaliVai Washington, and Bryan Shelton[3](https://www.atptour.com//en/news/young-us-open-2024-retirement-tribute) • [5](https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/all-these-years-later-donald-young-has-found-his-footing-on-the-tour) |
| Notable wins | Andy Murray at Indian Wells in 2011, Gael Monfils in Bangkok later that year, and Tomas Berdych at the 2015 Canadian Masters 1000[3](https://www.atptour.com//en/news/young-us-open-2024-retirement-tribute) |
| Retirement | Final professional tournament at the 2024 US Open, where he and Taylor Townsend reached the mixed doubles semi-finals[3](https://www.atptour.com//en/news/young-us-open-2024-retirement-tribute) |
## Junior career
Young began playing tennis at age 3 with his mother, Illona, and father, Donald, Sr., who coached him throughout his career.[6](https://www.atptour.com/en/players/d.-young/y124/bio) The family relocated from Chicago to Atlanta, where his father, a one-time player at Alabama State, took over a tennis academy with the help of IMG.[7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/2005/04/18/professional-tennis-at-age-15-too-much-to-young/23d054b0-16d7-4b46-a6b9-7c47615c0aa7/) Young won his first national title at age 11.[4](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/2005/02/03/young-makes-history-with-no-1-junior-ranking/2516f2c0-69de-49df-8f24-2626c86bf045/)
**The 2005 Australian Open.** In the boys' final in Melbourne, the second-seeded Young beat the fatigued first seed Kim Sun-Yong, who committed 41 unforced errors, taking the first set 6-2 in 39 minutes and serving out the second 6-4.[1](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2005-01-30/young-gun-makes-history-in-melbourne/628620) The title made him the youngest winner in the history of the junior Grand Slams, and the following week he replaced Kim as No. 1 in the ITF Junior World Rankings.[1](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2005-01-30/young-gun-makes-history-in-melbourne/628620) • [4](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/2005/02/03/young-makes-history-with-no-1-junior-ranking/2516f2c0-69de-49df-8f24-2626c86bf045/) He also reached the junior Wimbledon semi-finals in 2005.[8](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-jul-06-sp-tennis6-story.html)
## Professional career
Young made his tour-level debut at the SAP Open in San Jose in February 2005, a month after the [Australian Open](https://www.edgepedia.org/australian-open) junior title, as a wild-card entry in a 32-player field that included [Andy Roddick](https://www.edgepedia.org/andy-roddick) and [Andre Agassi](https://www.edgepedia.org/andre-agassi).[4](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/2005/02/03/young-makes-history-with-no-1-junior-ranking/2516f2c0-69de-49df-8f24-2626c86bf045/) He was 15 at the time.[9](https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Tennis-Notebook-Future-bright-for-junior-champion-1950569.php) The transition from juniors was difficult: by 2007 his career record in ATP events stood at 0-9, and commentators questioned whether the early promotion to professional play had cost him confidence.[10](https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/the-price-of-prodigy) Billie Jean King, then chairman of the USTA high performance committee, said in 2006 that playing over his age level had hurt him, because a young player beaten badly repeatedly does not build the confidence that comes from winning.[8](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-jul-06-sp-tennis6-story.html)
**Peak years.** Young's best results came in his mid-twenties. In 2011 he recorded a career-best US Open fourth-round appearance and his first ATP final in Bangkok.[11](https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/viewpoint-here-s-how-donald-young-can-improve) His three career wins over Top 10 opponents all came in this stretch: [Andy Murray](https://www.edgepedia.org/andy-murray) at Indian Wells in 2011, Gael Monfils in Bangkok later that year, and Tomas Berdych at the 2015 Canadian Masters 1000.[3](https://www.atptour.com//en/news/young-us-open-2024-retirement-tribute) At the 2015 US Open he again reached the Round of 16, coming back from two sets down to beat Viktor Troicki 4-6, 0-6, 7-6(3), 6-2, 6-4 in the final match played on the old Grandstand court.[12](https://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/articles/2024-08-31/forever_young_donald_young_makes_one_last_us_open_appearance.html) He also reached a Grand Slam doubles final, becoming the fourth African-American male in the history of the sport to make a major final, following [Arthur Ashe](https://www.edgepedia.org/arthur-ashe), MaliVai Washington, and [Bryan Shelton](https://www.edgepedia.org/bryan-shelton).[5](https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/all-these-years-later-donald-young-has-found-his-footing-on-the-tour)
**Career record.** Across his career he compiled a 98-180 record (35.3 percent) against top 100 players, including 48-101 (32.2 percent) against the top 50 and 3-26 (10.3 percent) against the top 10.[13](https://matchstat.com/tennis/player/Donald%20Young/) He never won a tour-level singles or doubles title.[3](https://www.atptour.com//en/news/young-us-open-2024-retirement-tribute) In 2016 he played his first season of Mylan World TeamTennis for the Philadelphia Freedoms as an exempt player.[2](https://funwhileitlasted.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2016-World-Team-Tennis-Media-Guide.pdf)
## Retirement and influence
Young retired at the 2024 US Open at age 35, partnering his longtime friend [Taylor Townsend](https://www.edgepedia.org/taylor-townsend) to the semi-finals of the mixed doubles event; the pair had also reached the same semi-finals in 2014.[3](https://www.atptour.com//en/news/young-us-open-2024-retirement-tribute) Townsend said Young was the reason she believed she could play professional tennis, because he was the closest person to that career that she had been around.[3](https://www.atptour.com//en/news/young-us-open-2024-retirement-tribute)
His influence extended through his family's Atlanta tennis center, which sat ten minutes from [Christopher Eubanks](https://www.edgepedia.org/christopher-eubanks)' house. Eubanks traveled as Young's hitting partner before playing college tennis at [Georgia Tech](https://www.edgepedia.org/georgia-tech), and credited Young with instilling the confidence that he could play on the tour.[3](https://www.atptour.com//en/news/young-us-open-2024-retirement-tribute) Young himself said that passing along what he had learned mattered to him, because for him, his parents, and the people around him, the path of a junior prodigy was happening for the first time.[3](https://www.atptour.com//en/news/young-us-open-2024-retirement-tribute)
## Playing style
Young is a left-hander, which he noted reduces the usual left-hander's advantage because he grew up accustomed to playing right-handed players.[14](https://ausopen.com/articles/features/ao-analyst-djokovic-v-young) In a 2017 Australian Open analysis of his match against [Novak Djokovic](https://www.edgepedia.org/novak-djokovic), he was noted for putting 77 percent of all returns back in play and winning 61 percent of points returning opponents' second serves.[14](https://ausopen.com/articles/features/ao-analyst-djokovic-v-young) As a junior he described his own style of play on a tournament form as "pusher", a self-deprecating label for a retrieving baseline game.[15](https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/by-far) He reflected in 2015 that tennis was for him largely a mental challenge, saying the skills were never really the issue.[16](https://www.si.com/tennis/2015/09/02/us-open-donald-young-mental-game-gilles-simon)
## References
1. [Young gun makes history in Melbourne, ABC News (30 January 2005)](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2005-01-30/young-gun-makes-history-in-melbourne/628620)
2. [2016 World TeamTennis Media Guide, Donald Young (USA)](https://funwhileitlasted.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2016-World-Team-Tennis-Media-Guide.pdf)
3. [Donald Young: A career of success & inspiration, ATP Tour (3 September 2024)](https://www.atptour.com//en/news/young-us-open-2024-retirement-tribute)
4. [Young Makes History With No. 1 Junior Ranking, The Washington Post (2 February 2005)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/2005/02/03/young-makes-history-with-no-1-junior-ranking/2516f2c0-69de-49df-8f24-2626c86bf045/)
5. [All these years later, Donald Young has found his footing on the tour, Tennis.com](https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/all-these-years-later-donald-young-has-found-his-footing-on-the-tour)
6. [Donald Young Bio, ATP Tour](https://www.atptour.com/en/players/d.-young/y124/bio)
7. [Professional Tennis at Age 15: Too Much Too Young?, The Washington Post (18 April 2005)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/2005/04/18/professional-tennis-at-age-15-too-much-to-young/23d054b0-16d7-4b46-a6b9-7c47615c0aa7/)
8. [U.S. Tennis Looks at Ways to Improve the Future, Los Angeles Times (6 July 2006)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-jul-06-sp-tennis6-story.html)
9. [Tennis Notebook: Future bright for junior champion, Houston Chronicle (7 February 2005)](https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Tennis-Notebook-Future-bright-for-junior-champion-1950569.php)
10. [The Price of Prodigy, Tennis.com](https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/the-price-of-prodigy)
11. [Viewpoint: Here's how Donald Young can improve, Tennis.com](https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/viewpoint-here-s-how-donald-young-can-improve)
12. [Forever Young: Donald Young makes one last US Open appearance, US Open (31 August 2024)](https://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/articles/2024-08-31/forever_young_donald_young_makes_one_last_us_open_appearance.html)
13. [Donald Young Tennis Stats, Ranking, Titles & Full Career Record, MatchStat](https://matchstat.com/tennis/player/Donald%20Young/)
14. [AO Analyst: Djokovic v Young, Australian Open](https://ausopen.com/articles/features/ao-analyst-djokovic-v-young)
15. ["By Far", Tennis.com](https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/by-far)
16. [Once a junior prodigy, Donald Young shows mental strength in comeback, Sports Illustrated (2 September 2015)](https://www.si.com/tennis/2015/09/02/us-open-donald-young-mental-game-gilles-simon)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Racket and precision ball sports › Tennis › Tennis players and seasons › Individual tennis player biographies › North American tennis player biographies*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license