Davis Cup - Euro Africa Zone I 2009

steven · Tennis legend

RE: Davis Cup - Euro Africa Zone I 2009

DJ · County player

RedCabbage wrote:

I agree. When I was on Henman Hill for the Murray/Haas game the only people being vocal were a group of (admitted, well watered) scots. Don't know how great the support would be for Boggo though!

Well, Drew, Scottie and I would all be shouting for him, possibly Indiana, too - and that's about the same number as seemed to be shouting for him on Number One (my apologies to anyone who was there and was shouting - it didn't seem that way on the tv!).

Count Zero · Tennis legend

really its going to have to be indoor hard isnt it. i doubt they can risk and outdoor event here in march. we got lucky this time round, wioth ptobably the best weekend of the whole year! 2 times in a row is pushing fate too far.

would there be any issues switching from outdoor to indoor hard for andy injury wise?

obviusly boggo is very strong on indoor courts, with a great record at challenger lvl on the surface so it will be a big question for JL about including him.

steven · Tennis legend

*cough* *cough*

The atmosphere was really good on Sunday and there were more people than that shouting out loud for him just in the small AM.com section! Maybe the BBC director was intent on pressing home Jonathan Overend's point about lack of GB support?

Talking of the press, as we were, a hamstring has got a mention at last (well, almost) - in the Sporting Life article at http://www.sportinglife.com/fanzine/story_get.dor?STORY_NAME=tennis/08/09/23/TENNIS_Column.html it says, among other things:

"Left in the hands of the world number 163 Alex Bogdanovic, who had never previously won a live Davis Cup rubber and has proved spectacularly incapable time and time again on the big occasion, Britain's World Group hopes floundered.

Lloyd may argue he was left with little choice but to hand yet another last chance to Bogdanovic, who duly went on to lose his two singles matches, because he is still, horrifyingly, ranked 41 places above the British number three, John Goodall.

Goodall shows plenty of promise but is hardly world-class material yet, and for such a sorry state of affairs the blame should not rest with the largely hamstrung Lloyd, but with the Lawn Tennis Association."

To give the author his due, he did manage to work out that Kazakhstan have three players ranked above Alex (Golubev at 138, Schukin at 153 and Kukushkin at 158) and suggest that the LTA be given a one-way ticket to Almaty, but it's not an article I'd recommend reading in full.

Salmon · Tennis legend

Does he have any idea about how Kazakhstan has three top 200 players?

Golubev, Kukushkin and Schukin were playing for Russia even three months back. They were probably offered a good amount of money and agreed to play for Kazakhstan.

As far as I know, none of them have Kazakh roots or connections (Goloubev has Italian ones, I think). Although I have no idea if they were inspired after seeing Borat.

Horrible research....

Salmon · Tennis legend

Oh dear, I read the full article just now...

"The Kazakhs, of course, have achieved their strictly relative success without millions of pounds flooding their coffers every year from lavish sponsorship deals and staging one of the world's most prestigious grand slam tournaments."

Yeah, they did it by buying players! Woohoo! Let's do the same. But they'll only agree to sell rejects like Marko Djokovic to Britain...

Drew · Sep 23, 2008

OldEchoMan wrote:

FYI chaps and ladies - the tie will be played in March 6-8. The dates have been shifted by the ITF

Thanks OEM.

So I presume that will defo be indoors then as its in March biggrin

I hope they play it in Birmingham NEC. Great atmosphere the last time. Not sure about Glasgow. Even given the fact that Andy didnt play singles there the crowd just didnt get it. I was there throughout and it was dire at times.

So it wont have to be on clay then...indoor hard as Count says would even suit Boggo. These dates come at the end of the North American / European indoor hard court season and a week before the first master series. Would Andy play Memphis / Rotterdam on indoor hard prior to the DC then ?

-- Edited by Drew at 17:43, 2008-09-23

steven · Tennis legend

Salmon wrote:

Does he have any idea about how Kazakhstan has three top 200 players? Golubev, Kukushkin and Schukin were playing for Russia even three months back. They were probably offered a good amount of money and agreed to play for Kazakhstan.

As far as I know, none of them have Kazakh roots or connections (Goloubev has Italian ones, I think). Although I have no idea if they were inspired after seeing Borat.

Horrible research....

I didn't know they were Russian imports, that's hilarious

They only have one other player in the top 900.

jamatthews · Strong Club Player

They've also poached Shvedova from Russia on the women's side and were rumoured to be after Karatantcheva too.

Drew · Sep 23, 2008

You have got to listen to this grilling of Draper....The guy went over the top a bit I ended up feeling sorry at the end for Draper....could not stop laughing as well !

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7630878.stm

-- Edited by Drew at 18:04, 2008-09-23

scottie1 · Futures level

mY team would be Andy Jamie B Jamie M and believe it or not Colin Fleming! colin and Jamie M played dobles together. The event could be held in edinburgh at Craiglockhart on clay!. The music could be the Proclaimers Runrig and franz Ferdinand. The Scottish crowd would go mad plenty of kids in to scream and shout!

Now I think I will go for a lie down!!!!!!!!!!! Too nuch heather between my ears

indiana · Tennis legend

Drew wrote:

You have got to listen to this grilling of Draper....The guy went over the top a bit I ended up feeling sorry at the end for Draper....could not stop laughing as well !

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7630878.stm

-- Edited by Drew at 18:04, 2008-09-23

That was fantastic lol, thanks Drew.

Draper initially had my support since I believe that's the same Radio 5 guy who after who, after Andy lost to Nadal over 5 sets at the Austrailan Open in January 2007, said that yet again he had lost a big match and would he ever be capable of making it, and then deservably got a huge kicking from the listening public.

And I have heard him other times, and not been that impressed.

But this time, that was brilliant, persistently brilliant, and made Draper look a bit of a plonker.

So John Llyod is dong a "fantastic job", Just "he made some gambles at the weekend which went wrong". Hmm

Plus, absolutely no defense re Andy ( and Jamie apparently ) leaving the Bogdanovic match courtside well before the end. As I have said elsewhere, there just is no defense on that, a brave man wold have had the guts to say so, but I guess he feels the need to keep Andy sweet.

john · Top national player

LOL Drew, I actually feel embarassed for that interviewer. Made a fool of himself, went way too far and talked a lot of nonsense

-- Edited by john at 19:48, 2008-09-23

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

Typical rottweiler journalist. (Sorry, OldEchoMan, but it IS typical of most journalists in my experience)

-- Edited by Madeline at 19:55, 2008-09-23

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

Can't complain about that draw, and there shouldn't be too much trouble beating the Ukraine, especially at home, and even without Andy, I think we'd still beat them as we should win the 2 singles matches not against Stakhovsky and the doubles.

Hopefully Andy will play and make it secure, but if not, I'm still not overly worried about it, and we'll be back in the WG play-offs later in the year (but seeing some of the round 1 draws, I don't see many easy ties for us)