Great find

Love Helen's positive attitude and her writing is very interesting and readable. Well done and keep going.

Some well balanced and astute observations, rather than foolhardy attacks, from Helen in her latest update. I definitely agree that funds would be better diverted into 'Money tournaments', offering better players that opportunity to earn funding rather than simply have it given to them. This system works fantastically in Germany, France and Spain and also gives the good amateur the incentive to continue with his/her development even if tennis is not their chosen career; leading to a much larger pool of players of professional (or just below) standard.

Gawd, does Helen know how to write at length and keep it interesting !

And what she writes on tennis she writes about clearly knowlegeably and also seems to make sense.

I think as has been said she writes very interestingly and on the face of it sensibly on money tournaments to keep the better junior players more engaged at still young ages while it looks as if many of the masses that may have joined in at even younger ages ( some just for a laff ? ) have moved on.

I do also agree that there just seems to be too much funding comparatively being thrown at very young players as against these 19 / 20 yos that are actually beginning to make some impression on the rankings but not enough for some in the LTA who clearly see some as "too old".

 I find it very sad that Helen writes : "The fact that I am only twenty and I already feel old and past it as a tennis player is indicative of this county's ethos that there's no hope of any improvement or breakthroughs after the age of about eighteen, which isn't right."  ( though for country she to me should say LTA - they still seem very mixed up ). I wonder if they consider say Lisa Whybourn "past it" when to me that is someone who should be still receiving all encouragement as a clearly later developer in some aspects of her game ( both technical and emotional ). 

I think her comments are on the whole supportive of the LTA, with a few constructive comments thrown in. Rather than castigate her, I think the LTA should be employing, or at least consulting the likes of Helen for ideas on the way forward.

indiana wrote:

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I wonder if they consider say Lisa Whybourn "past it" when to me that is someone who should be still receiving all encouragement as a clearly later developer in some aspects of her game ( both technical and emotional ). 

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On that point, our third highest-ranked teenager has just written in response to Helen:

"girl I hear you!!this is so so so true,when will people learn that a good player at 14 never is a good player at 20. and why is the average age at wta 24,we arnt in hingis era anymore,me and dan talk bout this all the time,I'm 19 and 2 old ha" 

(I think she means the 14 and 20 thing the other way round, i.e. not being a very good player at 14 doesn't necessarily mean you can't be a very good player at 20 - i.e. Indiana's point about some players developing later than others)