Don't look now but American Donald Young is on the verge of cracking the top 100 again. Yes, the same Donald Young who was crowned heir apparent to Andy Roddick as a junior. In recent weeks, he has compiled an impressive winning stretch of tennis, and at the ripe old age of 24, is he finally on a path to maximize his talent?

As a junior, Young finished higher than players such as Andy Murrray and Juan Martin Del Potro. So, what went wrong and why didn't this progress translate to the pro tour? Some suggest that success came too easily, too early for the youngster. Others cite his parents, who coached Young in his early years on the tour when he met adversity. He did not handle the pressure of the tour with grace and was often seen lambasting his parents and himself during matches.

In February 2012, things began to look up for Young who appeared to be on track for inclusion into the conversation of top American men when he peaked at No. 38 in the world. But things turned dramatically again as the Chicago-native fell outside of the top 200 in early 2013, forcing him into lower-tier Challenger events and qualifiers.

In 2013, he failed to qualify for the Australian Open and Wimbledon and chose to altogether skip the French Open. Then, leading up to the US Open, the immediate future did not appear bright for the young American after he failed to qualify for back-to-back events in Washington and his hometown of Atlanta. Surprisingly, Young played some of his best tennis of the year while successfully qualifying in New York, then dominated Martin Klizan in straight sets in the first round before succumbing to Florian Mayer in the round of 64.

Since the US Open, Young has found additional success playing Challenger events, winning successive titles in Napa and Sacramento before a quarterfinal run at Tiburon last week. With these results, he has won 16 of his last 18 matches.

Interestingly, the Challenger events have pitted Young against a number of other American men who are treading water, hoping to elevate themselves to the next level. Tim Smyzcek, Denis Kudla, Bradley Klahn, Rhyne Williams, Jack Sock and Steve Johnson are among Americans who have become fixtures, along with Young, at Challenger tournaments.

Smyzcek and Sock, like Young, have benefited from these tournaments, placing themselves in good positions to qualify for more ATP World Tour events. Additionally, this week's ranking sees Smyzcek as the No. 3 American. He is now well inside the top 100, joining Sock who reached his career high just two weeks ago. Given each player's stellar recent results, all three have improved their chances of getting into the main draw of the first Slam of 2014 in Australia. And with it, Young becomes relevant once again.

But can he really turn things around? Jennifer Capriati comes to mind when contemplating this question. Capriati had early success after entering the tour at the same age as Young. But the pressure, grind and rigors of the tour took it's toll forcing her to burn out and rebel – which included arrests for shoplifting and marijuana possession. After a hiatus from the game, Capriati came back to the tour with a new coach and blossomed, winning three slam titles and an Olympic gold medal.

Young can also reference other players such as Maria Sharapova, Caroline Wozniacki, Andy Murray and Bernard Tomic among a long list who shed their parents from their coaching ranks only to find success grow without them.

To Young's credit, things have not spiraled to the extent of Capriati's fall and he has overcome some difficulties. In 2012, Young hired coach Roger Smith to assist his parents and he has continued to battle and is enjoying some success again. But will he ever see the full extent of his potential without trusting his game solely to the hands of a proven coach? Given how tight knit his family is, it appears that his parents will continue to be involved, at least for the near future. The real story, though, lies with whether Young will continue his resurgence going into the 2014 season. Only time will tell.

(Photo credit: Christopher Levy)