Week 18 - ATP - Estoril

Salmon · Tennis legend

Week 18 - ATP - Estoril

john · Top national player

ATP Estoril 2007.

Salmon · Tennis legend

The more he plays on clay, the better it is for his ankle.

Maybe he won't play any of the warm ups to the US Open except for the two Masters...

Sheddie · administrator

Like John, I'm surprised to see Andy playing here, with Monte Carlo it'll mean he's competing for 5 straight weeks. Great news for us fans though. Maybe Andy will make a surprise decision like withdrawing from Barcelona or something.

I'm told that the Estoril clay is some of the slowest on the circuit. Great venue though.

I think it's been a long time since a Brit won a match at Estoril. Henman has lost in rd1 there several times and Martin Lee also lost in rd1 back in 2002.

I wouldn't have thought Andy would play no warm-ups for the US masters...that'd be forfeiting a lot of points from Washington, also I don't think it'd be a good idea. It'd mean a month off after Wimbledon, Henman has done it in the past and arrived at Toronto looking very rusty and he's done poorly in the two masters as a result.

Salmon · Tennis legend

I think that forfeiting points is a far better better option than retiring at 25.

Sheddie · administrator

So do I but only taking a 3 week break after Wimbledon rather than a 4 week one isn't going to make much difference to the length of Andy's career. I think that he should miss Newport, ok the fields there are v weak but the courts are not only lightning fast but apparently shockingly bad quality and so it's always going to favour the serve-volleyers even against a baseliner of Andy's quality.

I just feel that he needs one tournament on the US hard courts before the two masters so that he's well match-conditioned before them.

Salmon · Tennis legend

I agree that just one week doesn't make or break a career, but these little things ultimately add up to become a decisive factor.

If Andy cuts out a tournament here, another there and stops playing doubles from next year, he'll be preserving himself well for a career that'll stretch for more than another decade. Or else he might just regret these little decisions seven years from now on.

Nearly all the careers that have ended in the recent past could have been prevented if the players took care of themselves in their early years. One exception that comes to my mind is that of Taylor Dent - he is too big and hence too inury prone for his own good.

Just in case anyone didn't know, Dent has unofficially retired and now works for IMG/Bollettieri as a coach.

It's a shame as he was my favourite American player and even though he probably lacked what it took to be a top 10 player, he was going to stay inside the top 30 for quite a few years.

-- Edited by The Panda Bear at 20:14, 2007-03-27

aria81 · Club Coach

I seen that about Dent - very sad. He always seemed to be such a nice guy as well so it's a shame that this has happened to him. Still - he's a very friendly, likeable guy so I'm sure he'll get a TV gig at one point as well. i know he was doing some video work on the USO website last year so he might do some more there.

-- Edited by aria81 at 21:14, 2007-03-27

Sheddie · administrator

A couple of tournaments isn't going to make much difference, most young players play quite a lot when they're 19, 20, 21. It's only the ageing players like Henman etc who need to now take a whole month off between Wimbledon and Toronto, when Henman was younger he played Indianapolis and Los Angeles and even now he plays Washington most years, when he hasn't, he generally doesn't do well in the masters series.

I think Andy shouldn't play Monte Carlo, Estoril, Barcelona, Rome and Hamburg as he's going to be pretty knackered by the time it comes to RG as the clay court season is probably the most gruelling physically with the heat and such punishingly, long rallies. However, it looks like he's going to do so. If he goes out early in 1 or 2 of those tournaments, it probably won't be a big deal though. I have a feeling he may struggle in Hamburg.

This probably means he's not going to play the world team cup in Dusseldorf which is a shame, he would probably be able to get in with Tim plus Jamie Murray as the doubles specialist. If Chile can win it then we certainly can !

Dent was just very, very injury prone from a young age, Andy isn't like that. I never particularly enjoyed watching Dent play but as you say he was a great guy and will surely get a job as a pundit

Salmon · Tennis legend

Great Britain aren't in Dusseldorf.

Even if we were, Andy or Tim wouldn't play. Very few top players choose to go there. And given how much Boggo, Bloomers etc. love clay, Morgan Phillips would be making the trip.

Sheddie · administrator

Ok, I didn't realise that the team list had been made already. What's it done by, invitation or ranking ?

GB played back in 2002...Henman, Martin Lee and Miles Maclagan were the team. They did pretty well, 1 win away from making the knockout stages. Martin didn't win any rubbers but gave Safin a pretty decent match !

Salmon · Tennis legend

Seven teams are chosen by the combined rankings of the top two players from each country. Plus there's a wild card entrant.

We came pretty close last year as we finished tenth. I thought that we would make it but then Andy withdrew from Basel and the Tiger withdrew from Paris.

RJA · Hall of fame

I presume that Andy has entered Estoril just in case he has a couple of early exits at Monte Carlo and Barcelona. I will be amazed if he plays five straight weeks of clay court tennis if he is going deep into tournaments. If nothing else I don't think that Brad would let him.

Salmon · Tennis legend

He'll be slapped with a big fine if he withdraws without an injury. ATP is going to be really strict from this year onwards.

RJA · Hall of fame

The Panda Bear wrote:

He'll be slapped with a big fine if he withdraws without an injury. ATP is going to be really strict from this year onwards.

Withdraw without an injury?

Perish the thought.