Oli Golding

christ · Futures qualifying

RE: Oli Golding

Priesty · Challenger level

Coup Droit wrote:
RJA, you hit the nail on the head. I agree with Bob in that it was more the traveling and grind that was the issue, not the finances.

But if I were to be pointed, what I really think is that it was the losing and not being one of the best that he found very hard to come to terms with.

Which, as you say, is not saying that he felt entitled to it, just that - in perhaps a slightly 'young' way - it was simply what he was used to (and what his mother and others had lead him to believe would be the status quo) and that it was hard/very hard/impossible for him to get his head round the fact that it wasn't so.

It's partly my reservation for the coaching choice.

But people grow up and change, and often quite fundamentally too. And he's certainly young and fun and will be popular with the youngsters, I'd imagine.

He certainly did used to moan a lot via Twitter about various aspects of life in whatever tournament he was playing in, especially abroad - the courts, the hotels, the scheduling, amongst other things. I remember also watching him play Lacko in Nottingham a few years ago when, having won the first set, he was denied an early break in the second by a dubious call and thereafter seemed to lose interest and won just 2 more games. Had he put the call behind him and stuck with it the match was there for the taking. So I think it probably is a bit of all the above rather than the finances.

Tennis Nut · Social player

I'm sure he will be a great motivator

KK · Club Coach

My theory - complete conjecture as I have never met him - was that suggested above, that he couldn't cope with losing. I have seen too many little boys who keep winning tennis matches become insufferably arrogant. Oli won a huge amount of tennis matches right up to the US open juniors. I have no idea if he became arrogant, but his tweets were certainly brimming with self-confidence. In most cases a family should bring such boys down to earth, but I wonder if Oli's did. They produced odious websites for him, both as a child actor and as a tennis player telling the world how wonderful he was. This might have made the transition to seniors, where inevitably matches are lost, that much more difficult for him.

Priesty · Challenger level

Has Oli now followed Willbomb in becoming a father? Pictures on his and Tara Moore's Twitter accounts suggest that could be the case.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Priesty wrote:
Has Oli now followed Willbomb in becoming a father? Pictures on his and Tara Moore's Twitter accounts suggest that could be the case.

Yes, I saw that. And assumed...wondered....seemed like it....

In which case, huge congrats to them all !

(And, if not, well, welcome to the cute baby, whatever smile )

Priesty · Challenger level

Is his partner/the mother (if it is their child) Marta Sirotkina? Tara's tweet makes reference to a Marta, the pictures look similar and I've seen their names in the same sentence before.

Such a nosy so-and-so.

-- Edited by Priesty on Saturday 11th of February 2017 11:27:20 PM

paulisi · Tennis legend

Judging by the interview in the Mail, it looks like Oli is giving the Pro tour a proper go.
Fitness, not there yet, but mentally stronger.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Yes, but his interview a couple of days ago with Londontennistubes didn't sound quite so convincing. Said he was in a better place but couldn't see a scenario where he would willingly commit to a lot of traveling on his own.
I guess the proof will be in the pudding over the next year or so.

The Knight · Challenger qualifying

With that tennistube interview and the fact he's a father I just can't really see him giving the tour a truly proper go.

Unlike Marcus though I think he can still do real damage on a day-to-day basis without having a full-on commitment, he's got better natural fitness and his baseline game is so much stronger

Helen40 · Grand Slam Champion

There are lots of dads on the circuit, so I wouldn't automatically rule that out with Oli's talent level. I realise that alot of them have enough money to take their kid with them sometimes. I guess time will tell. I'm glad he's decided to give it a go in any case.

Spectator · All-time great

I would think it's possible. He's a strong enough player that he wouldn't necessarily need to go hither, thither and yon chasing points. One could carve out quite a decent career in Europe, with the odd Slam somewhere else. And if you get to the level where you have to play Masters tournaments, taking the family isn't financially an issue.

And yes, if he is mentally in a good place and really starts to work again, why not think in those terms?

PS: And agree on the fathers - and that it's not just the Federers and Djokovics and Murrays who can share with their children. Who can forget Gilles Muller at Sydney when he won his first title?

-- Edited by Spectator on Saturday 23rd of September 2017 06:38:32 AM

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

I think the father thing is brought up not because other players don't manage it fine, but because it is the one thing that Oli himself keeps mentioning, as not wanting to travel because of being away from his son (and because he doesn't like travel either).

But, as you say, maybe not too much travel is required.

I think, as said before, it will depend a lot on his wife/partner. She's an ex-pro player. She knows what is involved in the pro life, she knows Oli, and she'll know what support he/she/baby needs. The drive has to come from Oli but if she is 100% backing him and helping him, I think there is a good chance that may happen.

My fear, though, is that he's in the rosy period at the moment - dabble in a money tournament, play well, try a few ITFs, do very well, get some attention, go up the rankings quickly, it's all fun and there's a buzz.

He (presumably) will stall at some point (not a criticism - the 'progress' is always steep at the start and then has to flatten off). And then will find himself in the hard graft part, maybe stuck somewhere far from home. That'll be the test.

So, go Marta !

paulisi · Tennis legend

I can see Oli doing a training block after Barnstaple and then playing odd ITF events in UK and Europe until his ranking is good enough. The aim will be to get into the grass challengers direct and a wildcard to Wimbledon. Re-assess after Wimbledon.

-- Edited by paulisi on Saturday 23rd of September 2017 09:03:24 AM

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Interesting comment from KK, specifically in reference to winning continuously at junior level. For good players ie. juniors who win the US junior open their primary focus in the year they win should have been on getting their senior ATP rank below 500 (or an appropriate level) still playing juniors but with absolute clarity as to the real goal and ultimate destination.

To put a kid on a train at Euston who thinks he is only going to Watford is all well and good, happy days when you get their but if your intended destination is Aberdeen and they don't open the buffet until Rugby you are going to have one miserable traveller. Of course in pro tennis they only really start opening the buffet car when you start going deep into challengers.

I would love to see Oli progress but one has to accept his limitations and if he wants to find a way,eyeballs out he can be what he wants to be on the tennis front and I am sure would get full backing from the LTA on showing that intent and consistency in performance. He could do less and still be rewarded with wild cards for home tournaments etc.. he strikes me as an articulate and charming man that in combination will also bring him opportunity, but I think the priority should be to support professional players, professional as defined by fully committed in every sense to be the best they can be.