He Tries to Dent the Elite

In a television commercial currently airing, Taylor Dent strolls onto the court not quite knowing what he’s getting into.

That’s how it’s been with his game lately.

His opponent in the commercial is a small boy and Dent has trouble putting away the kid before learning it is the son of Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf.

The boy in the commercial isn’t really their son, he’s an actor, but the guy standing across from Dent on the court later this week during the Mercedes-Benz Cup could very well be Agassi.

Both are entered in the tournament, which begins today at the Los Angeles Tennis Center at UCLA. Agassi is the top-seeded player and Dent is seeded No. 7 in the event, which kicks off the 10-tournament U.S. Tennis Assn. U.S. Open series.

A possible Dent-Agassi matchup wouldn’t occur until the final and if Dent is to make it that far, he’s going to have to find a consistency in his serve that has been lacking this year and has kept him from reaching the tennis elite many have predicted for several years.

“Some days it’s on and some days it isn’t,” Dent said of his serve, which has been clocked at more than 140 miles an hour and is one of the most powerful in the game. “It’s tough because sometimes I really don’t know what I’m going to have out there.”

When it’s on, he’s difficult to beat, which he showed last year with three victories, including consecutive tournaments in Bangkok and Moscow. Only five players won more than his three titles last year -- Roger Federer (7), Andy Roddick (6), Guillermo Coria (5) Agassi (4) and Juan Carlos Ferrero (4) -- and he qualified for the U.S. Olympic team.

When it’s off, however, it can lead to early-round losses. This year, Dent has been eliminated in the first or second round eight times in 13 tournaments.

“It’s a little frustrating but it’s not that big of a surprise,” Dent said. “For my style of game, the serve is so important and I’ve got to prove that I can do it week in and week out. But I need to develop my entire game. I can’t rely on my serve when it’s inconsistent.”

Dent, 6 feet 2 and 195 pounds, is a classic serve-and-volley player, a rarity in an era filled with baseliners with big forehands and powerful ground strokes.

At 23, he is part of a class of rising young American stars which includes Roddick, James Blake, Mardy Fish and Robby Ginepri.

Roddick has risen faster than the others, but there is no reason to believe Dent won’t be next if he finds consistency. To that end, he has hired a new coach, Francisco Montana.

“He’s close right now,” said Montana, who has coached Dent since March. “We’re working on changing his thinking a little bit. He needs to believe he can find ways to win when his serve is not on.”

A prodigy since he took up tennis at 10, Dent is the son of world-class players. His father, Phil Dent, was a regular on the Australian Davis Cup team in the 1970s and reached the 1974 Australian Open final. His mother, Betty Ann Stuart, reached the 1977 U.S. Open doubles final.

Dent’s ranking has improved every year, from No. 179 in 2000 to 116 in ’01. In 2002, he won at Newport, R.I., his first career title, and finished ranked No. 57. Last year he ended up No. 33. He has made two semifinals this year, but has slipped to No. 44.

Time isn’t standing still, a realization Dent made while shaving recently. He looked closely at himself in the mirror and came to the realization that at 23 now was the time to take his career to the next level, become a consistent winner and contend in Grand Slams.

“I was looking at myself thinking, ‘Man, I bet people consider me an adult,’ ” Dent said. “I mean, I don’t feel like it at all, but I bet other people do.”

Certainly the kid in the commercial does. After a long rally, Dent is quick to remind that he put the kid away with a big overhand smash.

Now comes the task of doing it consistently.