Interview with Roger Draper in the Evening Standard

steven · Tennis legend

Interview with Roger Draper in the Evening Standard

Count Zero · Tennis legend

Draper's got more spin than a Nadal forehand.

They keep managing to say we should stick by the older players but none of the journalists seem to be asking them why they then dropped the 2 older players over the winter!

I know Josh has been dire thsi year, but maybe being told he was not deserving of funding whilst others were was a big knock for him?

however i agree with the view its unfair to compare us to France etc where they have a club circuit where the pro can earn additional cash.

The Hoose · Satellite level

I agree with Count. The spin is excessive; so much so that the reader can see right through it.

Five finalists in the Australian open - talk about stretching the stats.
A tennis court is within a bike ride of most people - hardly surprising
Twice as many participants as rugby league - maybe its me being a southerner but thats to be expected, surely

And hes happy to use statistics to make opposite points; first he gloats about tennis being the fourth biggest commercial sport in the country and later he moans that other sports have more money.

Id like to see a lot less of the defensive, backward-looking language and a focus on being positive and looking to the future.

-- Edited by The Hoose on Wednesday 28th of April 2010 11:13:46 AM

thegingerlightbulb · Lower Club Player

To be honest, there is little point mentioning wheelchair tennis as no one watches it or cares much about the results (though of course its great that we support such athletes).

The LTA has to be judged on senior results and the amount of juniors coming through. As I understand it Draper defended himself to the house of commons commitee by mentioning Luke Banbridge and Katie Dune as exceptional talents. Considering they have yet to even reach tier 1 junior standard I think we are still stratching around desperately for progress

steven · Tennis legend

The Hoose wrote:
I agree with Count. The spin is excessive; so much so that the reader can see right through it.

Five finalists in the Australian open - talk about stretching the stats.
A tennis court is within a bike ride of most people - hardly surprising
Twice as many participants as rugby league - maybe its me being a southerner but thats to be expected, surely

And hes happy to use statistics to make opposite points; first he gloats about tennis being the fourth biggest commercial sport in the country and later he moans that other sports have more money.

Id like to see a lot less of the defensive, backward-looking language and a focus on being positive and looking to the future.

All those things are very shaky, I agree, and have been heard many times before, and I agree with the Count about Boggo and Josh, but if they have started to change their thinking on older players (and if they have, it's been a very recent, post Lithuania 'conversion,' I think - far too late, but better than nothing if they follow through on it) then that has to be a good thing.

He's right about the national circuits in France, Germany and Spain too, though I can't see why the LTA can't do anything about that. However, they do seem to have made welcome improvements to the British Tour this year, so that again is a start.

He's right about the courts too when he says: "It is like comparing apples and pears. The French Tennis Federation hardly invests a penny in facilities because those are funded by local government. That allows the federation to invest in coaches, club managers and people. In this country, the Lottery has declined and local government has stopped investing in sport."

The courts in France are indeed virtually all local authority funded, whereas over here there weren't nearly as many tennis courts in the first place, and local authorities seem more likely to close the ones that exist and/or turn them into other things than to build new ones and that's something the LTA can't solve on its own, though of course they could be doing more to help their cause rather than hinder it.

So yes, I'm still pretty cynical too, but I'm stil inclined to welcome subtle shifts in approach on things like older players and giving players the chance to make more money in the UK, especially if they do it by winning matches.

gjr · Club Coach

First of all, thanks for the link. The evening standard is not a site I've ever visited before and now I know Mihir Bose is with them I'll give them wide berth.

I'll come back later to this thread but his comments on British Cycling are amazing poor. That's why British Cycling is so good. Draper can't see outside of the box. Rebecca Romero is an incredible athlete but she is only one cog (sorry :) ) in an incredible team.

And his use of Andy Murray as a stat is pathetic. Andy could of played in the same swimming pool as Ana Ivanovic and still made it. He didn't need the LTA but by God they need him.

Speaking of Ana look where she is now. The expectation in this country is immense. You can have the skills but some can't handle the pressure.