This thread is sort of like a half-term report (just off should have been done in Wk 26 not 27 but we've had a great week this week) on the performance of GB tennis players.
By this time last year, we had two challenger winners in Dan Evans (Jersey) and James Ward (Savannah) whilst Cox had won a 15k future, Phillips came back onto the scene and was rising the rankings. We also had a pretty succesful WImbledon qualifying where alot of the youngsters managed to pull off upsets. Whilst Andy Murray had already won Doha, Rotterdam, Miami, Queens Club and reached the semi-fianls of Wimbledon for the first time whilst achieving the World Number 2 ranking. In the Davis Cup, Andy Murrayless GB had lost to Ukraine with Chris Eaton managing to win a dead rubber.
This year however, Chris Eaton had won a 15k future, whilst Wardy and Slabba both chipped in with a 10k a piece. There has been the resurgence of Jamie Baker who continued his good form and is on the verge of cracking the top 250. We had two players reach ATP QF's in Ward at Eastbourne and Bloomers in Newport who still has the opportunity to progress. Andy Murray reached the Australian Open final and Wimbledon semi-final again although his performances outside those two hadn't been great. In the Davis Cup relegated to Division II, Andy Murrayless GB managed to lose to Lithuania 3-2 although James Ward did manage to win a live rubber for the first time in a number of years who wasn't called Murray, Henman or Rudseski.
So the question i'm asking, are you more happy about the performance of GB tennis players this year compared to this time last year? Or would you say 2009 up to wk 27 was a better year?
-- Edited by The Magician Santoro on Wednesday 7th of July 2010 09:20:50 PM
Its hard to say....with Murray not having a great year....no challenger success...limited Futures....mmm...and still no sign on anyone having a real breakthrough year....not much in it. If Bloomers wins his QF then 2010 might just pip it so far.
I'd point to the combined rankings of the top 10 GB players : 29/12/08 3076, 06/07/09 3099, 28/12/09 3109, 05/07/10 3200 So falling steeper in the first half of 2010.
As Drew said no real breakthroughs, in fact more younger players falling back. Of Evans, Cox, Smethurst, Rice, Milton, Willis, A Ward and Pauffley - all eight improved their rankings in the first half of 2009 and indeed again in the second half of 2009, some very significantly. In the first half of 2010 Evans, Cox, Milton and Wllis have dropped back and of the other four who have improved their ranking only Wardinator has really significantly. That is not just disappointing for the first half of 2010 but for the future. Of course it is more difficult to maintain a higher ranking and for such as Cox his recent major rankings drop is more a delayed reaction to his second half 2009 performances. Still..
Presuming we were talking about up to the start of week 27, which is logical, Bloomers efforts this week don't get in which might have effected my consideration a bit such as certainly change the combined top 10 rankings and just the fact of having a non Muzza in an ATP QF.
But ultimately I am most concerned about the ( non ) performance of our top younger players in the first half of 2010, as we wait for the Golding / Morgan / Broady generation to come more on the scene.
-- Edited by indiana on Thursday 8th of July 2010 12:23:55 AM
At the moment 2009 has been a better year, despite perhaps some of the individual achievements of 2010 being better.
The performances of Murray reaching two slam semi-finals, Ward and Bloomers in ATP QF's, look great, but those players haven't really backed them up (or looked like they could achieve it) with any other results, although Ward having just won a futures title is getting there.
The problem has been the lack of success at challenger level. I think I'm right in saying we have reached 1 semi final this year which half way through the year isn't very good at all and needs to be improved on in the second half.
Also, a lot of the younger players have gone backwards in their development and even if their ranking has risen in the last 12 months, where they are likely to end up with a career high ranking has probably fallen in the estimation of most people.
Even success like that of Baker having risen up the rankings is tempered by the fact he has barely beat anyone with a decent ranking, while in doubles, things are not quite going as well.
Hutchins had a good start to the year but doesn't seem to have won many matches since and losing in the first round of Newport with a partner who has almost owned the title in recent years so easily is a bad result.
Even Flemski, who having made an improvement, haven't quite had a great year at ATP level and have lost most of their matches against the better doubles pairs (I think anyway).
There is potential for 2010 to end up being a better year, but there needs to be some sustained success, rather than the occasional good week, coming sooner rather than later for that to happen.
