Week 25 - Wimbledon Qualifying 2nd Round

steven · Tennis legend

RE: Week 25 - Wimbledon Qualifying 2nd Round

cakj1234 · Lower Club Player

I hope they continue this. They have so much potential there but all too often never fulfill it and get stuck in lower tier tournies and end up retiring before time.

Peter too · Tennis legend

Greatest percentage improvements in rankings since the end of last year. 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.

Order % 2007 Latest _ Change Names
1 __ 41% 640 __ 376 __ +264 _ Amanda Elliott
2 __ 35% 214 __ 139 __ +75 __ Melanie South
3 __ 30% 132 __ 93 ___ +39 __ Anne Keothavong
4 __ 24% 1100 _ 837 __ +263 _ Jocelyn Rae
5 __ 24% 867 __ 660 __ +207 _ Amanda Carreras
5 __ 23% 187 __ 144 __ +43 __ Elena Baltacha
7 __ 23% 811 __ 628 __ +183 _ Yasmin Clarke
8 __ 21% 723 __ 574 __ +149 _ Naomi Broady
9 __ 19% 1100 _ 891 __ +209 _ Stephanie Cornish
10 _ 17% 127 __ 106 __ +21 __ Katie O'Brien
11 _ 15% 917 __ 783 __ +134 _ Tara Wigan

john · Top national player

cakf, what exactly would one of the GB girls have to do to "prove" themselves to you?

If they were to, say, make the 3rd round of Wimbledon then lose a close one to a top 10 player you would probably slate them for not taking their chance and say they "should" have won because it was close.

cakj1234 · Lower Club Player

john. have lost interest on this debate because nobody on here likes negative feedback. I posted my dissapointment on here about matches that alot of them came so close to winning only to lose. Since then i have personal abuse both on here and GB tennis. If this is what this site is about then screw the lot of you.

djlovesyou · Strong Club Player

You don't post your disappointment. You post the same smug 'These girls are just not good enough and are letting the country down' nonsense after every single defeat.

Criticism is fine if constructive, but you're just like a broken record.

john · Top national player

Well put dj.

Cakman, don't you think that the girls are also disappointed with the close defeats? Don't you think that they tried their best? Therefore what good is your constant moaning doing? We all know that they could have won the matches, we all know that it's disappointing. You don't appear to be proposing any kind of solution (ie, something which would qualify as CONSTRUCTIVE criticism), you just moan and moan. What good is that doing? You think we want to read that?

How exactly would you like us to respond? Shall we join in with your whingeing? Would that make you feel better?

Jack · Intermediate Club Player

cakj1234 wrote:

john. have lost interest on this debate because nobody on here likes negative feedback.

you are completely correct, this is the reason i no longer post on this board for the above reason, any negative thoughts on this board you are looked upon with disgrace, I like you proberbly love following the progress of both british men and womens tennis and nothing gives me more pleasure then the brits doing well but unfortunately this site will not accept anything negative regarding british tennis.

cakj1234 · Lower Club Player

Jack. Thankyou. Like you i support them whole heartedly. Just wish they would climb higher quicker and challenge the top players more often. but a waste of time voicing an opinion on here, well anything negative that dosnt quite fit into their way of thinking. Anyway had enough.

djlovesyou · Strong Club Player

"Like you i support them whole heartedly. Just wish they would climb higher quicker and challenge the top players more often."

So coming on to a message board and every time a player over the age of about 20 loses a match saying that they should be ashamed, give up the sport, let some 9 year old have a chance, there's no way a (insert random nationality) would have lost that helps a lot I suppose.

Why not try the 606 messageboard, they tend to appreciate your type of 'support' a bit more. They might even give you a few Britbashing tips.

cakj1234 · Lower Club Player

So coming on to a message board and every time a player over the age of about 20 loses a match saying that they should be ashamed, give up the sport, let some 9 year old have a chance, there's no way a (insert random nationality) would have lost that helps a lot I suppose.

Give it up. By the way never said any of above. Prat. No wonder Jack went elsewhere. youre all just a sad bunch of losers.

Thelakes · Newbie

Have just joined up. I have followed your posts with interest as of late. I thought this site is to support. i can see where cakj is coming from, as i can everybody else. Its just an opinion, he still supports gb, he just seems to want them to do well quickly which i am sure we all do. I now feel that if I say anything that does notinclude praise and a little bit of negativity i will be bombarded with abuse the same as he has been given. Understandably he retaliated albeit not nice but you all got what you deserve. Why cant you all just stick together somehow and just urge gb players on, even if some critisism comes into it. Think you should all send out apologies to all concerned. You know who you all are.

djlovesyou · Strong Club Player

My issue with this guy is that he doesn't post when anything positive happens, he only has something to say when something negative happens.

I'm not a regular poster, I generally just read what's going on. You do see a lot of criticism about a lot of players from a lot of people, the majority of it is warrented. Cakj just has an 'interesting' way of showing his support for the British players.

Oh, almost forgot. I apologise to everyone concerned.

indiana · Tennis legend

Cakj, I actually don't totally disagree with you that there are some folk on here that I think are a bit too easy on British players and look for excuses. However, I don't think it is as totally widespread as you make out.

I myself have been critical of the number of women players that seem to lack the requisite fitness and movement and while it may be true for some, I don't accept the general reply that so and so is just not a good mover, so say must just go for quick rallies.

What does put people off here I suspect is that you are like a broken record with keeping posting that players are losing games that they should win. Instead of just saying that ad infinitum, could we maybe have your opinions on why they are losing matxches you feel that they should win and what possible changes could be made ? Rather than just saying that they are losing matches they should win so give up on them.

The very fact that you say they are losing matches that they should win suggests you think that they have the ability to win. If someone simply doesn't have the ability, then there may indeed be limits to their possible progress. But you imply they have the ability, so what do you think are the main problems ? Fitness ? Mental ? What ? And what steps do you think should be taken to try and overcome those factors and help them make the best of their ability ?

I am interested to hear your positive suggestions.

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

Yeah, I'll admit at times that we may not criticise the players when they lose matches, but that is probably because we are fans of the players and as all fans are, we want to see the best in what we support.

That said, it's no good just bashing them no end for losing matches as that doesn't achieve anything either, and quite a few of the players read these boards and so telling them to give up the game isn't going to make them feel any better.

You should always try and take the positives from a match, so from Elliott and Smith's close losses in Wimbledon this week we can say that they were good enough to push players who are ranked much higher than they are, but not quite yet at a stage where they are good enough to beat them.

And losing a close match is always disappointing and the fact it seems to happen so often to British players is so frustrating, and on the girls side, we do happen to have a lot of players who choke when matches get close at times, which is something that needs to improve, but surely they should deserve some credit for getting to a position where they can choke?

By all means slate someone for choking a match away, but to get to a position where they can choke against players who are ranked hundreds of places above them obviously shows some signs of talent.

I'll admit that as a board we aren't the best at taking criticism and we do defend the players a lot, but I've criticised players in the past for their performances and will do again in the future (this week alone, I've been disappointed with the performances of 2 or 3 of the men in qualifying, and some of the girls, especially Broady for losing to an opponent so easily who hasn't got any game and to Tara for losing from *4-3 up in the 3rd), but bashing them non-stop does no good (but so does non-stop praise and excuse making regardless of what they do)