Week 28 - Great Britain F9 (Felixstowe 15K) - 2008.

mjd · Challenger qualifying

RE: Week 28 - Great Britain F9 (Felixstowe 15K) - 2008.

Count Zero · Tennis legend

i had heard something about this. i also heard that a doubles player whose name begins with J (which hardly narrows it down unfortunately) was out partying quite late too.

Salmon · Tennis legend

That's a shame.

Hope he'll be fit for the Challenger next week.

And I wasn't aware of the drinking thing. If that's true, I'm fine with them not getting wild cards here - it was honestly not an intelligent thing to do. I don't believe in things like cutting off the funding, but there should be some sort of punishment. Something like no wild cards for the next three months would be fair enough...

The LTA shouldn't get any publicity for Laura's win, though. The only sad part about her winning the title is that now we'll have some LTA people claiming that she's theirs, when she is actually as much theirs as Andy was (even less, in fact).

gazzpash · Club Coach

Weirdly the BBC have reported about this event before it commences which is odd as they dont tend to even look at Challengers - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7484866.stm Might have something to do with Eaton being there.

-- Edited by gazzpash at 12:33, 2008-07-07

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

Still, going out and getting hammered the night before a match at Wimbledon isn't the smartest thing to do, especially if you're doing it in a club with all the Wimbledon officials in it, and maybe even people with a link to the LTA.

And I don't know what they even thought they were doing, as there was no way they were going to get away with it, and doesn't exactly show they are overly commited to trying to build a successful tennis career (yes, it's only doubles at a junior slam when they would probably have lost anyway, but that is beside the point, and it's not the attitude that you want to see from our players)

The point of view the LTA will have on this is that they have tried to support the players (we can argue whether they have or not), by giving them funding, handing out wild cards, and letting them use their training base, and they respond by going clubbing before a match at Wimbledon.... so if the players aren't going to act as if they are responsible and care about the match, the LTA can say that they don't seem interested in having a tennis career, so they will now have to prove they do have the desire and the hunger by having to qualify for every event, train someone else, and not have as much funding to travel abroad.

It may seem harsh, but is in line with the other punishments they have given for similar incidents, and personally I fully understand why the LTA have done what they have

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

gazzpash wrote:

Weirdly the BBC have reported about this event before it commences which is odd as they dont tend to even look at Challengers - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7484866.stm Might have something to do with Eaton being there.

-- Edited by gazzpash at 12:33, 2008-07-07

Pretty sure that is the reason behind it, and while he's having his 15 minutes of fame they'll report on it (if he loses first round though, it will be interesting to see whether they cover the challenger next week)

Or it could be that they are going to cover all the events in the UK from now on and give the impression that the tennis season doesn't end when Wimbledon in over, and as well as coverage of the futures event, they'll be reporting on Boggo and Baker in Canada, and Ward and Slabba in Israel

Bladetiger · Pro player

My guess is that they featured it because the organisers will have written a press release for them, which the LTA who organise challengers in this coutnry would be less likely to have done.

As for Evans and Smethurst- very depressing.

Jonny has also been given a wild card for Felixstowe and is on his way down there now playing tomorrow, playing singles only as a warm up for Manchester.

The Hoose · Satellite level

ForeverDelayed wrote:

Still, going out and getting hammered the night before a match at Wimbledon isn't the smartest thing to do, especially if you're doing it in a club with all the Wimbledon officials in it, and maybe even people with a link to the LTA.

Is there any indication that they were drinking alcohol? If so, that is very stupid. A late night is bad enough.

(Then again, Laura Robson admitted she didn't sleep before her Wimbledon Final!)

-- Edited by The Hoose at 13:38, 2008-07-07

steven · Tennis legend

Doing that the night before a match sounds like quite a step up in stupidity from the 'Bebo Two', so I'm not surprised the LTA is taking action here.

Another question that comes to mind is what were all the staff doing out until 3 am, especially those in the referee's office - reasonable enough had it been on the night of the middle Saturday, but if it was the day before the Evans/Smethurst doubles match, that implies it wasn't the middle Saturday.

Of course, this is the press we're talking about, so for all we know they have mixed up and/or fabricated some of the facts to suit their agenda ...

Salmon · Tennis legend

I honestly don't think we should believe any of it before an official confirmation...

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

The Hoose wrote:

ForeverDelayed wrote:

Still, going out and getting hammered the night before a match at Wimbledon isn't the smartest thing to do, especially if you're doing it in a club with all the Wimbledon officials in it, and maybe even people with a link to the LTA.
Is there any indication that they were drinking alcohol? If so, that is very stupid. A late night is bad enough.

(Then again, Laura Robson admitted she didn't sleep before her Wimbledon Final!)

-- Edited by The Hoose at 13:38, 2008-07-07

It didn't say that they were drinking alcohol, but if they were in a club until 3am, it's reasonable to assume they were (although for their sakes, I hope they weren't as that makes the situation even worse), as I can't really see why they'd be out until that time if they weren't.

Sleepless nights because of nerves are understandable, but out of choice isn't (unless you win, then you can do what you like the night before)

Count Zero · Tennis legend

well there was definalty a party of some kinda going on as a friend of a friend was there (i know its a loose link).
it really doesnt sound the most senisble tho, and surely they can expect the lta to come down quite hard on them.
even without alchol that quote late to be staying up as i am sure it would effect your perfomace the enxt day.

having said that i did hear of a famous wimbledon champ who was out clubbing the night before the final (this was some years back) was totaly wasted but then as soon as it was time to play immdeailty clicked into the zone and won!

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

Isn't Smethurst 17? .... checks.... yes....

So how was a 17 year-old in a nightclub anyway?

Either the security on the door wasn't particularly good, or it's a club where 17 year olds are allowed in, but not allowed to buy alcohol.

Or the party wasn't in a nightclub as the original article suggests

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

ForeverDelayed wrote:

Still, going out and getting hammered the night before a match at Wimbledon isn't the smartest thing to do, especially if you're doing it in a club with all the Wimbledon officials in it, and maybe even people with a link to the LTA.

And such behaviour seems rather at odds with what he's quoted as saying in the same paper on 30th June, but totally in keeping with this:

Good Evans! Dan shows there is fight in British juniors

by Sportsmail Reporter, 3rd July 2008

Let it never be said that Britain's junior tennis players lack fight. Locked in a tense first set tie-break battle with Dane Propoggia of Australia, British junior, Dan Evans, was serving at 5-6 down in the tie-break. Evans served a double fault to hand the first set to his opponent, much to the whooping and vocal delight of Propoggia. Evans took umbridge [sic!] at the Aussies celebration and when they crossed paths to sit down, the 18-year-old muttered exactly what he thought under his breath. The court microphone picked it up. "Yeah, you won it with a double fault, you f***ing a***wipe."

Classy.

* The Mail's asterisks... ashamed

Drew · Jul 7, 2008

Where where their mentors ?

Its strange that Evans would do this ???? he is not stupid ??

more to this im sure...

-- Edited by Drew at 16:37, 2008-07-07