Week 9 - Futures F4 (10k) Faro, Portugal (Return of Morgan Phillips)

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

RE: Week 9 - Futures F4 (10k) Faro, Portugal (Return of Morgan Phillips)

helki · Futures qualifying

Stircrazy wrote:

wolf wrote:
S/F
BAMFORD (GBR) / GOODALL (GBR) (1) Vs HEMMES (NED) / KONING (NED) (4)
ROMANOWSKI (POL) / WARD (GBR) Vs BUBKA (UKR) / KLYMENKO (UKR) (2)
Bad news from the doubles: Bamfs & Goody lost 2 & 1 to Hemmes & Koning (poor result for them! To answer Yorkie, I, for one, can't see Josh turning it round as things stand at the momemt! ) & Wardy & Romanowski 2 & 4 to Bubka & Klymenko (disappointing, but easier to swallow than the other defeat...! At least they appear to have made a bit more of an effort! ).

-- Edited by Stircrazy at 20:09, 2008-02-29

Two disappointing results, especially the Bamfs/Goody one.

I, too, think Josh has a mountain to climb to get back to anything like previous form. Things just seem to be spirraling out of control and the harder he tries the worse it becomes.

Perhaps he needs a dose of BG? Does anyone have insider knowledge on what is happening with him?

john · Top national player

Maybe a controversial thing to say, but IMO Josh just doesn't have the attitude to make it and it was quite clear to anyone who has watched him play. In fact, you just had to check out his reaction to the whole Peter Lundgren affair to see that he has a tendency to act like a spoilt child. Hopefully, he can sort it out and turn things around but he needs to start acting like an adult and avoid throwing his toys out of the pram when things go against him because he's clearly talented.

johnnylad · Tennis legend

He made the semis last week. Give the dude a break!

These Portugese hard courts are ultra slow if I remember Sheddie rightly so not Josh's cup of tea, and probably a moonballers paradise!

steven · Tennis legend

Fair enough, but if even Sheddie knows this, why do they keep going there?!

Yorkie · Lower Club Player

johnnylad wrote:

He made the semis last week. Give the dude a break!

These Portugese hard courts are ultra slow if I remember Sheddie rightly so not Josh's cup of tea, and probably a moonballers paradise!

The problem is his form has been poor for almost a year now and his ranking is slowly slipping away, this goes far beyond dodgy courts in Portugal!

I rate Goodall very very highly, there's no doubting his ability but thus far its wasted and can't see any sign of that changing

Bladetiger · Pro player

john wrote:

Maybe a controversial thing to say, but IMO Josh just doesn't have the attitude to make it and it was quite clear to anyone who has watched him play. In fact, you just had to check out his reaction to the whole Peter Lundgren affair to see that he has a tendency to act like a spoilt child. Hopefully, he can sort it out and turn things around but he needs to start acting like an adult and avoid throwing his toys out of the pram when things go against him because he's clearly talented.

Ive got to say that Josh is one of the players I enjoy watching the most, he seems permanently angry, and you can always feel the tension when he's on court.

I think the guy might sometimes be self destructive, but other times he maybe uses that passion in a constructive way.

I dont think he is achieveing all he could from his ability, but I'd rather a passionate player who shows he cares than one who sulks quietly to defeat anytime.

I dont think he's a spoilt brat by any means, but he seems very un-english in his approach. I find it refreshing, I understand why others wouldnt like it, but in attitude on the court he is the player that is most like Andy Murray.

john · Top national player

Well you may like his approach, but whatever it is it certainly isn't working for him it's safe to say

steven · Tennis legend

Remember that earlier this week I was bemoaning the fact that two qualifiers in Faro had knocked out four Brits between them:

- Bubka WR 622 took out Miles Kasiri in R1 and Chris Eaton in R2
- (Q) Machado WR 611 took out Luke Campbell in QR3 and Josh Goodall in R1
- (Q) Klymenko WR 879 took out Neil Bamford in QR4 and James Ward in R2

Well, to be fair to our boys, Klymenko went on to reach the semis and Machado has reached the Final!

helki · Futures qualifying

steven wrote:

Remember that earlier this week I was bemoaning the fact that two qualifiers in Faro had knocked out four Brits between them:

- Bubka WR 622 took out Miles Kasiri in R1 and Chris Eaton in R2
- (Q) Machado WR 611 took out Luke Campbell in QR3 and Josh Goodall in R1
- (Q) Klymenko WR 879 took out Neil Bamford in QR4 and James Ward in R2

Well, to be fair to our boys, Klymenko went on to reach the semis and Machado has reached the Final!

Which he won 6-2 2-6 6-4. A good effort from someone who came through the qualifying rounds and knocked out a couple of seeds on the way to winning the final. Oh, that it was a Brit. weirdface

steven · Tennis legend

Wow, more evidence that we were a bit harsh on Josh, I guess - though you could turn that around and say that he should be kicking himself for not taking advantage of such a kind draw!

Btw, all four quarter-finals here contained a qualifier!

johnnylad · Tennis legend

I think mens tennis is such a level playing field.

Stakhovsky just won an ATP title for goodness sake!

That's him, Darcis, Nishikori and more winning ATP title whilst ranked where nobody has ever heard of them. And the same thing is happening further and further down the rankings.

Anyone really can beat or lose to anyone.

It seems the only safe draw is Rob Dee or Chris Harfield!

(edited to fix typo's!)

-- Edited by johnnylad at 21:25, 2008-03-02