British Tour 2018

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

British Tour 2018

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Edgbaston:

SF:

Mason Recci def. Andy Ponder 6-3 6-2

Jamie Prad def. Kyle Fellows 6-3 7-5

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Edgbaston:

FINAL
Mason Recci def. Jamie Prad 6-2 6-4

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

In the Bolton BT event, the semis are:

Sean Hodkin v Imran Aswat

Adam Jones v Oliver Okonkwo

JonH · All-time great

Just out of interest if Andy or Dan Evans wanted to return by playing a low key event, is the British Tour an option? Has anyone of that standard ever played an event in the past?

paulisi · Tennis legend

Just seen Adam Jones has a crowd funding page. Trying to raise 3k to go and play out in Tunisia.

the addict · Tennis legend

JonH wrote:
Just out of interest if Andy or Dan Evans wanted to return by playing a low key event, is the British Tour an option? Has anyone of that standard ever played an event in the past?

I'd be surprised if anyone of that high a standard would consider it - there are very few ranked players taking part this year. The only viable option would be the Premier Tier event at North Oxford 27th May - 1st June, which is the first one on grass this year, and the one where the winner gets a wild card into the Wimbledon wildcard playoffs. There are usually a few ranked players there, and so there would be a limited opportunity for some match practice. I watched Dan Smethurst, Neal Paufflrey and Joe Salisbury in the equivalent event a coule of years ago.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

I think it depends on what Dan needs to knock off the cobwebs and timing, he is not a tennis snob and pretty pragmatic. Liam Broady kicked off his 2017 season with the British Tour at Loughborough playing Ed Corrie in the final before getting his ranking up by going off for back to back futures in Turkey. A pretty decent standard for an indigenous event!

JonH · All-time great

Thanks - I wondered if an event like that might allow someone like Andy or Dan to tee up a warm up exhibition in a competition environment? I recall at bristol back around 1988, Gb played a Davis cup euro zone tie in June ahead of Wimbledon, v Finland. I went to see the Saturday doubles and Ivan lendl, remembering he'd played Wimbledon finals in 86 and 87, rocked up to play an exhibition with Mark petchey. Petchey won if I recall, in a first to ten games single set.

But it was low key and not broadcast, just tied in well after the French where he'd lost in the last 8 and to get on the grass.

I read it's unlikely Andy will play Surbiton but there's no reason he'd not be able to play a warm up match or practice on grass, if fit, there or somewhere like North Oxford.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Oakland2002 wrote:
I think it depends on what Dan needs to knock off the cobwebs and timing, he is not a tennis snob and pretty pragmatic. Liam Broady kicked off his 2017 season with the British Tour at Loughborough playing Ed Corrie in the final before getting his ranking up by going off for back to back futures in Turkey. A pretty decent standard for an indigenous event!

Yes. I can't see Andy ever doing it. But for Dan, with no ranking, and very match rusty, it would be a good idea. Especially if it was local. And there's a lot to be said for playing an event like that - you don't have to play your normal game, you can use it as a test case for fitness, say, and just try and play the longest rallies ever. Or use it to practice your backhand top-spin in matchplay. Or whatever you fancy. Most players are advised to play some 'easy' tournaments especially for that purpose.

JonH · All-time great

Coup Droit wrote:
Oakland2002 wrote:
I think it depends on what Dan needs to knock off the cobwebs and timing, he is not a tennis snob and pretty pragmatic. Liam Broady kicked off his 2017 season with the British Tour at Loughborough playing Ed Corrie in the final before getting his ranking up by going off for back to back futures in Turkey. A pretty decent standard for an indigenous event!

Yes. I can't see Andy ever doing it. But for Dan, with no ranking, and very match rusty, it would be a good idea. Especially if it was local. And there's a lot to be said for playing an event like that - you don't have to play your normal game, you can use it as a test case for fitness, say, and just try and play the longest rallies ever. Or use it to practice your backhand top-spin in matchplay. Or whatever you fancy. Most players are advised to play some 'easy' tournaments especially for that purpose.

I certainly think it could be worthwhile, although Dan will be a month in by then and maybe feel match fit by that stage. But as he wont be playing the clay events and FO, somewhere like that might give him an early start on grass and presumably a good showing at Wimbledon and the money and points it brings would be one of Dan's main priorities this year.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

At Bolton:

FINAL

Sean Hodkin def Adam Jones 6-4 6-1

(NB Dan doesn't have to play any particular BT event - there's lots of them - he could even choose a Tier 2 one, just to get going, if he felt like it).

the addict · Tennis legend

That's true CD, but Dan might not want to play the clay court tournaments as a warm-up for the grass courts. And the other BT grass court events are too late - after Queens.

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

I would think that Dan will want to get into a ranking tournament as soon as he can. I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong, but although Dan will have zero points when he returns, he will still have some ranking points left at the point at which he is able to get his name on the entry list for his first tournament back. By doing this, he can avoid the situation of having to play qualies etc. and assuming he can pick up some points in that first week, he may avoid having to play qualies (at least at futures level) at any time.

If he plays British Tour for the first week or two, by the time he wants to get on entry lists for ranking tournaments, he few residual points will have expired and he will then definitely have to play qualies, unless he relies on getting some wildcards in the UK based tournaments to kick start his comeback.

It will be interesting to see which way he goes.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Yes. I don't think anyone thinks it's LIKELY that Dan will play BT events. This was in answer to whether he'd be 'allowed' to, or whether players of his level ever did. And the pros and cons.

If there had been a Loughborough event, or somewhere pretty local, on hard, I think there's a good chance he might have played there. There are some good reasons to give it a spin.

As pointed out by others, the fact that the couple on offer at the right time, are on clay, and in (for him) pretty far flung places, means it's very unlikely.

Just possible he might turn up at Oxford, if he hasn't managed the number of matches he'd expected by then.