Week 28 - Challenger ($75,000) - Aptos, California (Hard)

Count Zero · Tennis legend

RE: Week 28 - Challenger ($75,000) - Aptos, California (Hard)

mjd · Challenger qualifying

I dont think Boggo has done too badly, he received a big investment by the LTA. In the past he received annual financial help with travel and coaching, not many players have had the luxury of a coach paid £3/4m/yr being provided and I do remember when he always received the LTA wildcards. While others, contrary to what Tim Henman always implies, have had to pay for their own coaching, medical support and travel and rarely received any other help, which makes one wonder where the millions was used. At least now more than one select player seems to be getting assistance in what is a very expensive sport.

A clue to one player who was left to fend for himself while others received support can be found HERE

-- Edited by mjd on Monday 12th of July 2010 08:47:16 AM

RJA · Hall of fame

Boggo does get a lot of stick but I don't think it is all unwarranted.

Bottom line is he should have done so much better given his obvious talent

steven · Tennis legend

Count Zero wrote:

also winner of boggo/blooms will plays Nielsen or a Q, and for some reason K.Beck wr89 is is the Q draw here :(

you know its coming.

I hope you had some money on it ... bleh

- Brit v Brit for the 'privilege' of meeting either one of the top Brit bashers of all time or the top Boggo-basher of recent times.

In fact Beck is 5-2 v Boggo, who has lost their last four matches including two this year from a set up but 0-1 v Bloomers, who beat him at the Manchester Challenger 2 years ago this week. Since beating Boggo in Sarajevo and then retiring against ERV in the Final, Beck had only won 1/9 matches before this week, beating Santiago Ventura in R1 at Wimbledon.

Nielsen on the other hand is 1-1 v Bloomers, having won their last meeting in izmir in 2008, but has never played the Bogster.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Boggo has teamed up with Tim Smyczek (USA) in the doubles. They take on the fourth seeds, Pierre-Ludovic Duclos & Artem Sitak (CAN/RUS), in the first round.

In Chris Eaton's absence, Dom has found himself a partner in the shape of the curiously named Filipino, Treat Conrad Huey. They are seeded third & face the qualifiers, John Paul Fruttero & Brydan Klein (USA/AUS, in the first round. The "Rati Thais" are the top seeds.

-- Edited by Stircrazy on Wednesday 14th of July 2010 08:41:22 AM

Count Zero · Tennis legend

i was talking about financial support, I said funding excepted, I was referring more to emotional support cases where when he was injured in high profile DC matches the LTA didn't support him.
Yes he got coaches, but never who he wanted to work with, which can then be detrimental.

steven · Tennis legend

mjd wrote:
A clue to one player who was left to fend for himself while others received support can be found HERE

Looks like OEM contacted Richard for an interview too - an extract from today's interesting Net Post at http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/tennis/article2639573.ece (if you can get in there) reads:

"If ever there was someone who could tell a tale or two about how unrelentingly mad is the life of a British tennis professional, the 27-year-old from Norfolk is that man. Most people have absolutely no idea how it works, Bloomfield said. The British people simply do not understand what goes on. They just dont get it.

For most players, it is a largely anonymous, hand-to-mouth week-to-week existence and the week Bloomfield just had, his success in qualifying for the Campbells Hall of Fame Championships in Newport, Rhode Island, with his first-round match the subject of scrutiny from the tennis integrity unit after odd betting patterns were spotted, the victory over Ryan Harrison, the great hope of US tennis from a set down in the quarter-finals and shameless defeat to Mardy Fish in the semis, rather summed up how it can go.

He said that the time he had away from the sport last year, when he had slipped a disc, gave him the opportunity to live a normal life and get to know better people Ive only had the chance to see fleetingly over the years. Now it is back to the crazies. There are so many sports books out there that are not worth a bean. Bloomfields story would be fascinating."

Of course, given my list on the Newport thread of other Brits who have made ATP semis in the last 25 years without ever making the top 100 (BBC man Andrew Castle, ex-BBC and Sky man Chris Bailey and Eurosport man & (ex-?)Poland DC coach Nick Brown), Bloomers will be far too busy doing TV work or coaching other countries' DC teams to beat the best the LTA can turn out to have time to write a book. wink

-- Edited by steven on Monday 12th of July 2010 10:40:36 AM

RJA · Hall of fame

Count Zero wrote:

i was talking about financial support, I said funding excepted, I was referring more to emotional support cases where when he was injured in high profile DC matches the LTA didn't support him.
Yes he got coaches, but never who he wanted to work with, which can then be detrimental.

The LTA's man mangement skills of many of our most promising players has been dire. They seem to specialise in kicking players when they are down.

-- Edited by RJA on Monday 12th of July 2010 11:58:11 AM

Drew · Jul 12, 2010

Well i hope Bloomers wins here.....its a hard call but it will do a great deal for Bloomers maybe more than for Boggo....BTW I am in an underground internet cafe writing this....'Scotlands best kept secret for 40 years'

mjd · Challenger qualifying

If following on from juniors Richard had received a fraction of the support of certain other players who knows where his career could have gone but too late now hence his abrasive comments I suspect.

SMC1809 · All-time great

What? Scotland has had internet for 40 years? That was a well kept secret.

steven · Tennis legend

RJA wrote:

Count Zero wrote:

i was talking about financial support, I said funding excepted, I was referring more to emotional support cases where when he was injured in high profile DC matches the LTA didn't support him.
Yes he got coaches, but never who he wanted to work with, which can then be detrimental.
The LTA's man mangement skills of many of our most promising players has been dire. They seem to specialise in kicking players when they are down.

That must explain the players kicking the LTA when they are up then! Not very constructive on either side, of course, but no doubt understandable from some of the players.

One thing that was very good to see both at the DC tie and in interviews afterwards was how well Leon and the players (including the sub!) seemed to be supporting each other. I'll expand on that in the Turkey DC thread ...

Count Zero · Tennis legend

Of all the players i think bloomers has probably got the worst treatment from the LTA, I never really remember him getting much support in terms of WC's etc, obvisuly i dont know abut funding.

Out of interest does he have the high career high of the current guys still playing save andy and alex?

mjd · Challenger qualifying

SMC1809 wrote:

What? Scotland has had internet for 40 years? That was a well kept secret.

Well no one else had it back then so that was why it was secret - like when the first telephone was invented - who could he call?

steven · Tennis legend

Count Zero wrote:

Of all the players i think bloomers has probably got the worst treatment from the LTA, I never really remember him getting much support in terms of WC's etc, obvisuly i dont know abut funding.

Out of interest does he have the high career high of the current guys still playing save andy and alex?

Yes, see http://www.freewebs.com/britishtennis/stats/ch-m.htm?n=1