Well, as someone who likes watching doubles, I'm clearly the odd man out here. And I think you can create demand if you work at it -- look at the Bryans in the US. But my gripe isn't particularly with the lack of coverage of doubles. It's with the failure to celebrate a fantastic news story about a British player.
This one has everything. British player has a long, good career, but never makes spectacular breakthrough. Just before Wimbledon, he teams up with an old friend for a warm-up tournament. They do well. AELTC gives them a wildcard. In the first round, they face the 9th seeds, including Rafa Nadal's frequent doubles partner Marc Lopez. They oust them in a nailbiter five set match. Then they face Andy Murray's foe, Ivo Karlovic and partner. They oust them in straight sets. Next up are the 8th seeds, including Qureshi (who's well known). Another five set nailbiter. They're in the quarters. They're playing a team not that differently ranked. It's a battle of the underdogs, vying for a place in the semis and a shot at the final. As Murray and Ferrer duel on Centre Court, Marray/Nielsen and their foes duel on Court 3. They're winning by two sets to love -- then the momentum shifts. Their opponents win two sets. It's the fifth set, and they get a new wind. They break twice! They triumph! They're into the semis .... perhaps to face the Bryans for a spot in the final. They join Henman, Wade, Rusedski and the Murrays as members of the elite Last Eight Club!
If you can't make a story out of that, you shouldn't be a journalist. And it's such a great story .... full of interest, with such potential to inspire other players and potential players.
Sigh. I hope I read it somewhere.
I, too, enjoy watching doubles, but, like RJA, find it a pleasure I'm largely denied outside the DC & Wimbledon, where the Beeb will at least bother to cover it in a way that none of the broadcasters cover the other three Grand Slam tournaments seems to be @rsed to do.
OEM in today's Times manages a snippet about yesterday's momentous victory that gives no real flavour of the drama that must have unfolded on Court 3 (he clearly had eyes only for the men's singles QFs! ), but I suppose we have to be grateful for small mercies & the fact that it was reported at all:
Jonathan Marray became the first British player to reach the semi-finals of the men's doubles since Mark Cox in 1977 after he and Frederik Nielsen, his Danish partner, beat James Cerretani and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. The pair, who have played only three previous tournaments together won a thriller 7-6, 7-6, 6-7, 2-6 6-2 in 4hr 14min on No 3 Court. Marray returns to action tomorrow, when he and Nielsen could face the Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike, the most successful team in doubles history.
Then he goes & blots his copybook with this closing paragraph:
More British success came in the mixed doubles when Ken Skupski and Mel South defeated Nenad Zimonjic and Katarina Srebotnik, the No 3 seeds, 6-4, 6-7, 9-7.
Not like him! If only... He totally ignores Colin's & Su-Weh's three-set victory over the seventh seeds...
-- Edited by Stircrazy on Thursday 5th of July 2012 10:18:48 AM
He's always thought highly of Ken ... but it would have been an unusual scoreline even if the winners were correct!
At least he's accurate on the Marray/Nielsen next stage. Most of the (few) press reports out there state categorically that they'll next meet the Bryans. If I were Lipsky or Ram, I might take umbrage!
He's always thought highly of Ken ... but it would have been an unusual scoreline even if the winners were correct!
Whoops! That was my fault! Rather than attempting to see whether it was lurking behind the Times paywall, I simply typed it out, but I was in something of a hurry... Error now corrected.
I, too, enjoy watching doubles, but, like RJA, find it a pleasure I'm largely denied outside the DC & Wimbledon, where the Beeb will at least bother to cover it in a way that none of the broadcasters cover the other three Grand Slam tournaments seems to be @rsed to do.
At the moment the Beeb are covering two old fogies doubles, but not the ACTUAL MAIN DRAW doubles on Court 3.
In fairness to OEM as Tennis correspondent for The Times you would expect him to have been fully focussed on Murray's match so the bit about the other matches might have been wrote by someone else.
What really annoys me is that I haven't found a single report on Marray's match that looks like it was wrote by someone who watched the match.