Taylor Dent says of his Incredible Hulk action shots, “I get the faces going, that’s for sure.”

My Adidas only bring good news … —Run-D.M.C.

Fourteen men entered to play at the RCA Championships this week and the 20-year-old, tall, dark and lanky American, Taylor Dent, is said to be the best-looking of the bunch. An eye-catching collection of young U.S. up-and-comers — Mardy Fish, James Blake, Robby Ginepri and Dent — is rumored to be the next generation of tennis superstars in the Sampras and Agassi vein. And with that missing MVP duo, the fresh-faced foursome may freely live as lob luminaries this week at the RCA Championships.

Dent’s had close matches with both Sampras and Agassi. He’s physically hit Sampras twice with the ball by way of his Wimbledon new-track-record serve speeds. When posed with the eternally thorny question, “Who’s prettier, Agassi or Sampras?” Dent naturally sought counsel from his coach, and then replied confidently, “I think Pete would probably be the ladies favorite.”

Well, move over Pete ’cause Dent’s in the house.

Dent’s serve has been clocked at 144 mph; that’s 24 mph more than the speedometer on a Ford Escort station wagon.

“I just want to hit the ball hard,” he said of his lethal strength. Dent hasn’t driven a car 144 mph. “Not yet anyway,” he remedied in archetypal 20-year-old guy fashion. Taylor, good news! The Indianapolis Tennis Center is only minutes from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

On the court, this Californian is fierce (he’s a recovering RB — racket breaker). And off, he’s laid-back. “I am the average Joe,” Dent states, which is qualified by his average heavy metal tastes. “That’s probably my only real quirk,” he says about his favorite tunes by the likes of Guns and Roses. “The music I listen to is pretty violent.” Or, just plain bad. A tutorial in the Dead Kennedys and Toxic Reasons is definitely in order.

The substandard punk revival, funk-metal ditties by Pennywise and Alien Ant Farm are in his current playlist rotation. With spokesperson pizzazz he defends, “They’re good. They’re loud and fast,” like he is on the courts.

Dent grunts when he plays and unabashedly admits, “Yes, I do. I wish I didn’t. I don’t even notice I’m doing it until somebody reminds me.” And how is he reminded? “They make fun of me a little bit. They poke fun at the kid!” The guilty grunt tormenters, referred to as “they” in the aforementioned statement, include Mike Russell, Paul Goldstein, Mardy Fish and basically all the young American guys.

Taking his turn to tease, Dent explained that there are a lot of guys who grunt and started naming names. “I think Agassi grunts a little bit. Andy Roddick grunts.” Even still, Dent obviously grunts enough to be made fun of. He clarified that “Everybody makes fun of the grunts,” and went on to clown on Australian Patrick Rafter. “Rafter grunts. He’s got his little ‘heeecch’ that’s not even a grunt.” Dent’s version of Rafter’s exclamation sounded like a choke crossed with an asthmatic attack in B sharp.

No lucky underwear

Tennis players are usually saturated in sweat, grasping at towels between sets. Some European players’ hygiene habits have been reported to be suspect, so the issue of cleanliness when practicing and playing grueling matches daily in Midwestern humidity was addressed. “I use Arrid double X,” he comically boasted of his deodorant. His traveling attire is comprised of about 22 pairs of Adidas shorts and 30 Adidas shirts, so he can stay so fresh and so clean.

Even though Dent admits to losing track of time and dates on tour, he doesn’t require any prematch rituals to focus on his game. “When I walk out to the tennis court, when my name gets called, I just really try to focus on what I’m doing. I am superstitious about not being superstitious.”

This means no lucky underwear.

Last January, he strained, sprained or pulled a ligament, tendon or muscle in his back and kept playing, consequently making whatever it was worse. “I guess it was just one of those funky injuries. I really don’t know what happened … it’s better now.” And lucky for him, the tournament supplies masseuses so he can get rubs whenever he wants. We will not discuss his groin injury.

Toughening his stomach strength to increase overall playing potency, which seems a tad unleashed on the court anyway, is a concern of Dent’s. “I have a mini, mini four-pack and I’m working hard on it.” It’ll be awhile before he gives Jan-Michael Gambill’s ripped gut a run for the money.

Dent grew up playing sports, “I love sports,” and was never red-shirted in elementary school or pushed by his tennis pro dad. Unbelievably, he was 11 before he picked up a racket. “I just had the itch one day,” he explained. Dent said of his skyrocketing tennis evolution, “This is where I want to be. This is what I’ve chosen.”

This is Dent’s third visit to the RCA Championships. “I am looking forward to playing in the RCA,” and, “looking forward to playing good tennis,” Dent said. He keeps a low profile when he travels, so chances are he’ll skip the lemon shake-ups at the State Fair.

mpappas@nuvo.net