its funny how Naomi is much younger, has achieved more than any of the others had by her age, has beaten katie recently, has much more talent, a bigger game, and isn't far off them in rankings, and still doesn't get the opportunities that they get, and have had, for years???

this isn't a dig at your projections Sheddie, as I think that is pretty much how it is going to go. but it does baffle me, because ok so anne makes top 100... then what? its not turning her into a player of the future, it is just getting her to the top hundred.... really there is not much difference in standard between 95 and 120. the only reason the LTA will give her all 3 wild cards (again) will be to get her to 100, which will make them look good. i'm sorry but anne had her chances and then some. katie doesn't deserve chances over naomi, bally or mel, but she will get them because if she doesn't she will almost definitly lose her points and the LTA will look bad once again.

i'm not saying they should start giving the wild cards to 16 year olds.... but if its between a 19 year old who can do something big, or a 24 year old who has had every chance under the sun and not achieved anything... it seems obvious. i guess it just depends what their priorities are.

Birmingham -

Keothavong
Cavaday
Baltacha


Eastbourne -

O'Brien
South



Wimbledon -

Cavaday
Baltacha
O'Brien
South
Fitzpatrick
Elliott
Stoop
Play off

Wimbledon qualies -

Borwell
Broady
Curtis
Moore
Jennifer Ren
Rae
Clarke
Play off



Of course, there's no way that'll happen.

They don't do the play-off anymore do they? *sadface*

Anne's got a feed-up into s'Hertogenbosch! *happyface* and direct entry to Wimby *happier face*

To some extent I agree with Jimmy but then again you havw to give credit to Anne for what shes achived in the past 12 months. I also think you have to spread the WC's around. Now that we have a gorup of decent players for WC's i think we can do that.

My choices would be

brum

MD WC's
Naomi
Mel
Bally

Im tempeted to put Anne and Katie in qualifying as they are alreayd there

Q
Amanda
Georgie
Anna F
Sarah B

Based on last year a few of our other players might get in on their ranking.

Eastbourne

MD
Naomi
Mel/Katie

I think Anne and Bally have had too many WC's into the MD here. I'd like Anne to go to the Ordina Open now she has a SE there and is more likley to win a match there.

Q
Bally
Amanda
Georgie
Anna F

I think Amanda isn't quite reayd for MD WCs, maybe next year.

Wimbledon

MD
Anne is now in DA

WC's to
Katie
Bally
Mel
Naomi

I don;t think more than 6 should be given to brits. If Anne needed one i would have found the top5 perfectly acceptable. But i dont think amny other brit is ready for MD/or isn;t in the ebst of from

Q
Sarah B
Anna F
Amanda
Georgie
Anna Smith- Is she in good enough form?

Or do you throw in Jade C, Naomi B, Katerina B, Yasmin?

next target for Anne will be top 75, if she gets there then the LTA will fund her to have a full-time personal travelling coach

One thing to consider when handing out wild cards is who is on form. This table lists all those who have improved their rankings this year. It gives the greatest percentage improvements in rankings since. Moves from 1001 to 501 or 201 to 101 would both count as 50% improvements. The numbers in the table give the percentage rise, the ranking at the end of last year, the latest ranking and the actual rise since the end of last year. Newcomers Jocelyn Rae, Stephanie Cornish, Amy Sargeant and Jennifer Ren have been given a nominal ranking of 1100 at the end of last year so they can be included in the improvements table.

Order % 2007 Latest Change Names
1 __ 38% 640 __ 398 __ +242 _ Amanda Elliott
2 __ 28% 214 __ 155 __ +59 __ Melanie South
3 __ 24% 187 __ 142 __ +45 __ Elena Baltacha
4 __ 21% 132 __ 104 __ +28 __ Anne Keothavong
5 __ 18% 811 __ 668 __ +143 _ Yasmin Clarke
6 __ 17% 1100 _ 913 __ +187 _ Jocelyn Rae
7 __ 12% 1100 _ 968 __ +132 _ Stephanie Cornish
8 __ 11% 723 __ 641 __ +82 __ Naomi Broady
9 __ 10% 653 __ 588 __ +65 __ Katharina Brown
10 _ 10% 358 __ 323 __ +35 __ Anna Fitzpatrick
11 _ 10% 867 __ 783 __ +84 __ Amanda Carreras
12 __ 5% 709 __ 674 __ +35 __ Olivia Scarfi
13 _ _4% 127 __ 122 __ +5 ___ Katie OBrien
14 __ 3% 1100 _ 1063 _ +37 __ Amy Sargeant
15 __ 3% 1100 _ 1063 _ +37 __ Jennifer Ren
16 __ 3% 1055 _ 1024 _ +31 __ Nicola Mooney
17 __ 1% 526 __ 521 __ +5 ___ Jade Curtis
18 __ 0% 1026 _ 1024 _ +2 ___ Lucy Warburton

Georgie Stoop has only recently come back from injury so is still on a lower ranking than last year. Naomi Cavaday is surprisingly 6 places lower now than at the end of last year.

Birmingham:

MD:
1. Anne K
2. Mel
3. Bally

Because I want to give Katie the Eastbourne MD WC, I'd give Mel this one.

Q:
1. Katie
2. Naomi
3. Sarah
4. Amanda

Eastbourne:

MD:
1. Bally
2. Katie

Bally and Katie both won through qualies last year so should be rewarded. Anne should go to the Netherlands

Q:
1. Mel
2. Naomi
3. Amanda
4. Georgie

Amanda really deserves a lot of opportunities as she has really stepped up this year. I'd love to see Georgie do well, and Sarah has never made an impact at Eastbourne so went for the younger player.

Wimbledon:

MD:
(D.A. Anne)
1. Katie
2. Bally
3. Mel
4. Naomi
5. Amanda
6. Sarah

Q:
1. Georgie
2. Anna F
3. Katharina
4. Anna S (if her form picks up)
5. Jade/ Naomi B/ Yasmin
6. Jade/ Naomi B/ Yasmin