The Times and other media

indiana · Tennis legend

The Times and other media

Count Zero · Tennis legend

Draper Interview (my emphasis):

Published: 21/02/2011 09:00 - Updated: 20/02/2011 20:47
Draper stays positive despite critics' barbs
by Marc Beyeler

For someone who regularly takes bucket loads of criticism over the state of British tennis, Roger Draper was in a surprisingly upbeat mood when he visited Cambridge.

Often portrayed in the national media as something close to a pariah, usually during Wimbledon or after yet another Davis Cup defeat, Draper is bullish about the sports future in this country.

"We put high expectations on ourselves," he told me.

"Were confident of success, but these things take time to develop were four years into a 10-year plan.

"Are we happy where we are? Of course not. We want to have lots of players in the top 100 and more people playing. But if you look at where we were four years go compared to where we are now, were in a much better place."

Draper and the LTA certainly have their critics, from one-time Wimbledon champion Pat Cash to Andy Murrays former coach Mark Petchey, but there is no doubting Drapers passion and commitment to the cause.

A former County Cup captain for Surrey and director of development at the LTA, he returned to sports governing body as chief executive in 2006 after four years as head of Sport England.

At the time he took over, there were nine British men in the top 300 and three women inside the top 200. While the womens rankings have improved, with Elena Baltacha (72), Anne Keothavong (110) and 18-year-old Heather Watson (133) inside the top 200 and 17-year-old Laura Robson (239) steadily climbing the rankings, the mens situation has got worse.

Draper, a special guest at Cambs LTAs annual meeting held at Emmanuel College, said: "There was a transition period because Tim (Henman) and Greg (Rusedski) and a few other players retired. We always knew wed get a lot more progress on the womens side.

"The mens side is a lot tougher, for instance the average age of a top-100 player is 26. We always knew we would have to skip a generation and really focus on the George Morgans, Olly Goldings, Liam Broadys, the Ashley Hewitts for that generation to come through."

Since 2006 the number of competing juniors has risen from 8,400 to 43,800, but Draper hit out at the perception that the governing body should be held entirely responsible for producing top players.

"The idea of the LTA producing players is nonsense. The FA didnt produce Wayne Rooney, the ECB didnt produce Freddie Flintoff, the LTA didnt produce Andy Murray.

"They came through because of good coaches, great parental support and they also did it themselves. All we can do is provide the support behind them."

The funding players receive is often questioned by his critics, but Draper said the LTA were taking a tougher stance similar to that of British Cycling.

"Weve geared a lot more of our funding towards incentives, bonuses and prize money," he said.

"Players are having to work hard and thats beginning to pay off. Its certainly not a comfortable environment."

If Britain is to become home to more top players, coaching is going to be key. Experienced and expensive figures, such as Brad Gilbert and Paul Annacone, have left the LTA set-up, but Draper has enlisted the help of legendary coach Nick Bollettieri on a more informal basis.

Watson trains at his Florida academy, and Draper believe the 79-year-old coach could play an important role.

"Nick came over last summer and did a lot of work with our coaches. Hes going to come back this year and do the same. The way we use him is to train the coaches more than anything else.

"Heather is hitting the headlines because she won the junior US Open (in 2009) and is the highest-ranked teenager in the world, but weve got some other good young players based there as well."

Draper admits there is a lot of hard work ahead to get British tennis to where he wants it to be, but he has already considered the areas that will determine whether his tenure is judged as a success.

He said: "When we look back well be asking are there more people involved in the sport, have we got better quality coaches, have we got a great tennis environment?

"Did we deliver in terms of the transition from good juniors to seniors, did we run some great events?

"A lot of those things have already been achieved, but its all about continuous improvement."

indiana · Tennis legend

"The mens side is a lot tougher, for instance the average age of a top-100 player is 26. We always knew we would have to skip a generation and really focus on the George Morgans, Olly Goldings, Liam Broadys, the Ashley Hewitts for that generation to come through."

So they decided in their own minds they would have to skip one of the decent generations ( certainly in depth ) from 89 / 90, a generation that should generally still be improving, but in quite a number of instances has players who have plateaued in the rankings or gone significantly backwards. If they "always knew", presumably they were thinking that way while virtually all these players were still on the rise as it was really just during last year these rises did not continue for some.

I presume these thoughts have got through to the coaches and the players themselves.

They maybe didn't individually represent really top juniors but as I say had numbers of very reasonable juniors ( and numbers at any age is what gives more chance of one or two really coming through ) and one would have hoped that some would have now been showing real top 200 potential and still moving up.

I mean men players take longer to come through and for instance apparently "the average age of a top 100 player is 26" though clearly if true the average age to enter the top 100 will be significantly less.

Seems the focus and the emphasis is only really to be on players that they really feel have a good chance of entering that top 100.

Hmm.....

By the way I love his arguement that because top players have developed outside the remit of the LTA and other authorities it is unreasonable to be thinking of the LTA as a body that should be producing top players. That presumably has been thought of since it has been said that many of the really top players have had little link with the LTA. If you think about it, it is twisted bollocks.

-- Edited by indiana on Wednesday 23rd of February 2011 08:52:15 PM

philwrig · Hall of fame

The current regime of the LTA set ridiculously high targets when they came into power. I think they have only just realised that it was easier said then done. Of course now they're in a position where they are trying to defend their record, whilst providing hope for the future. In doing so they are losing respect from tennis fans/ journos by 1. including doubles players rankings for top 100 targets and 2. writing the current generation off when at least 2/3 should be in and around the top 250 level by now. They took a risk by hiring a crop of top foreign coaches, a decision I concurred with at the time but one which has been poorly executed. The legacy maybe that the current crop of home grown coaches may have learned alot form the likes of Annacone but that still has to be proven. On the womens side Sears has done a fine job and should be given more credit from my point of view.

In summary then the current regime's first failing was to set unrealistic targets, something you should never do in any performance related business/ sport and secondly they weren't able to maximise the return from the huge cost of bringing in top quality foreign coaches.

Ratty · County player

We always knew we would have to skip a generation and really focus on the George Morgans, Olly Goldings, Liam Broadys, the Ashley Hewitts for that generation to come through.

Good God, what utter garbage! An absolute classic example of the "post hoc ergo propter hoc" fallacy.

Or in simple terms: "You know that random upwards blip in the quality of one or two of our juniors recently - well, actually it was all part of my master plan!"

Completely laughable, and it's amazing that anyone could fall for such delusional tripe ....

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

It has always seemed to me to be short-sighted putting so much emphasis on the top juniors. Being a top junior does not mean automatic progress to the top 100 seniors - many never make the jump to being a good senior. On the other hand you have somebody like Milos Raonic who is storming up the rankings at age 20, never having done much at all as a junior. Okay, being a top junior can show that talent is there - it can also be that they are merely the best of a bad current crop, or get results by being among the oldest of the group.

Count Zero · Tennis legend

it's all well and good saying the FA dont make top footballers etc, but its a poor example that doesnt hold to any anaylis. the FA don't have a national centre (although they may be buildiung one and there is certianly a lof of presure for one) but the clubs who bring through the top players, and they have an incentive to do so, either via a hefty transfer fee to a top club to help their survival or at the top clubs themselves, and whilst tennis has players and clubs and 'elite' performance clubs etc it really can't work the same.

similar things with the ECB there is no point comparing tennis to sports which it's possible to make a career out of in clubs in a domestic league. i'm surprised he didn't throw jonny wilkinson out there too as an excuse.

Even in Europe (France/German/Italy, not sure about spain but i';d guess so) players can earn decent cash playing in club matches which is why you'll see guys lik Boggo etc heading over there whne they cna fit it in. UK just doesnt have that. Maybe it's crickets faults? we just can't have that many sports?

Shhh · Challenger level

I am only surprised at the responses here. Though this interview states things in clearer terms, all what Draper says here has been said by him before. At the time, Big Arv and others had played the challenger for a few years, at the start of this regime, a large percentage of them stopped playing or, tried doubles (I assume because of the changes being enforced?????). This has left us very low in the mens game as the next crop come through. All the speil in the above Draper has said one way or another in the past, I am surprised it has even raised an eyebrow here????

One thing I disagree with though is that I am sure the age group of Dan Evans, Dan Cox, Dan Smethurst etc were the LTA initial intention of "starting afresh".....that crop now appear to have been replaced by those two years behind in their talking.

Spectator · All-time great

"We have four boys [David Rice, Graeme Dyce, Dan Cox and Dan Evans] in the top 60 of the ITF rankings. We have to make sure we convert at least some of them into players who will compete on the main tour. We're also focusing a lot on the under-16s: Paul Annacone is spending a lot of time with them." (Independent 2007)

Paul Annacone, the head coach of mens tennis, predicted yesterday that four to seven British players would be nearing the top 20 by 2012, so what did Tiederman, the man in charge of the group to which Annacone was referring, make of it? I think Pauls comment is realistic, he said. We are starting to work extremely intensely with the 12-18 age group. We are putting the structure in place and installing a winning mentality. I think in five years time we will be a nation where people will want to come and see how wedo it. (Times 2007)

It's a both/and, isn't it. They did suggest early on that the '89/'90s would be the start of a new generation, but they were also realistic about needing to focus a lot of attention on the group that are now 16 to 18, as well.

I certainly don't think anyone should be writing off "older" players who are still working hard.

Josh · Challenger level

How was 7 players in the top 20 ever a realistic target!

LordBrownof · Futures level

What happened to Graeme Dyce?

LordBrownof · Futures level

Turns out he's at Kentucky University.

indiana · Tennis legend

If Draper didn't just keep shifting the goalposts, and learn that time doesn't constantly reset to 0 and folk have memory or can look up quotes of what has been said before or previous targets, then he might get a modicum of respect.

So they always knew they would have to skip a generation and really focus on the Morgans, Goldings, Broadys and Hewitts. Looks from evidence clearly untrue, and now in hindsight trying to say ah we always realised that they wouldn't really make it ( or at least they have now decided in their minds that the 89/90 guys are a busted flush ). I was sure I had previously heard of the 89 / 90 generation beinng previously really talked up. I think some folk still retain a bit more faith that one or two might come through than the LTA do.

They seem obsessed with this "top 100 thing" and putting too many eggs into a small basket. Proud of widening particiaption at the very young base of the structure, but at the top end such a narrow concentration confuse

At least when he took over there were more players in the reasonable upper reaches of the rankings that might produce one or two really good later developers. 9 British men in the top 300 to now 2 British men in the top 300, for heavens sake ! Would one be totally surprised if part of the cause of that is disillusionment from soon after he took over up to the present day amongst some of what appear to be looked at as also rans.

Yes, Shhh, much has been said before and before that, but I don't see any harm with comment on significant statements, one day he might give us a chance to say more positive things. And as you say this particular interview states things in clearer ( bull**** ) terms than some.

indiana · Tennis legend

Josh wrote:

How was 7 players in the top 20 ever a realistic target!

It was "four to seven" and "nearing" the top 20 by "2012" so time yet smile disbelief

Anyway, given that supposedly they had realised that the focus had to be on passing generations to the Morgans, Goldings, Broadys, Hewitts that was expecting a hell of a lot of progress from some of them and the girls !! Oh, of course though, silly me, doubles players count just as much wink

-- Edited by indiana on Thursday 24th of February 2011 02:39:40 PM

SMC1809 · All-time great

I can almost picture it. The year is 2061 and Draper takes the credit for Andy and Kim's grandchild as he/she strolls onto the centre court at Wimbledon for the final.

"I always said we needed to skip a generation!"