Sears Quits

alex03maccy · Grand Slam Champion

Sears Quits

philwrig · Hall of fame

Very sad news, and I hope it doesn't have an impact on the performance of our elite players. Don't expect a big name replacement, probably lilkely to be another Leon Smith style appointment.

DUSTY DICK · Club Coach

Such a shame to see him go as he really has worked well with our girls and some genuine progress has been made. But is anyone else here disappointed like me that he is off to coach a foreign player. He obviously has credentials as a good one to one coach and it will be interesting to see what he can do with Ivanovic. But I kinda wish that he was going to coach full time Heather Watson or Laura Robson if of course they would accept. He's english yet off to coach a foreign player when we have two talented girls here who I am sure would benefit massively from having someone like him as their full time coach. Nothing against Ivanovic of course and I wish them well but it's rather sad to lose Sears in this way. I would have loved to have read this morning that he was to coach Heather full time just so we could see what a partnership like that could achieve.

indiana · Tennis legend

That is a pity. Nigel did seem to be doing a genuinely good job at the LTA and was well respected.

Yes, it does seem a pity that if he was minded to move to being an individual's full time coach that he isn't working with a British player. Though some may not be able to afford him quite as easily as Ivanovic no doubt can.

It's been so noticeble at this Wimbledon how many of the women seem to simply have their fathers as coaches. I kind of feel that if you can get a really top coach that you have a good relationship with then you maybe do have some advantage there.

OK, I know the Williams sisters say haven't err exacttly done too badly, and one or two on this board are sceptical about how much a coach can help, but just my general feeling.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Very disappointing news & a great shame. disbelief I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the headline to OEM's article in The Times this morning. It's a devastating blow for the LTA, but this telling paragraph from the article makes Nigel's departure seem more or less inevitable:

For Sears, the incessant political infighting has outweighed the satisfaction he has derived from watching so many of the British women attain personal-best ranking positions under his tutelage.

So they obviously asked for it! What is it about British sports administrative bodies that makes most of them incapable of running a happy ship? confuse

indiana · Tennis legend

Oh, SC, that is an extremely annoying / maddening background that quote gives ( I am guessing that while not a direct quote Nigel has probably made no secret about this ).

If Nigel had just simply fancied a change of direction fair enough. and I can see how helping revive the real talent that is in Ivanovic could appeal, though as said would have been potentially really good if he could have worked with one of the British girls.

But to see that it appears a true tennis man has had his job satisfaction so diluted by those who clearly place such as politics, PR, one upmanship or whatever above simply doing their best for British tennis is quite sad.

I accept that politics exists as you say in too many British sporting bodies. I just wish these at the LTA who are not wholly there to try and improve British tennis and to work enthusiastically with others to that goal, but more interested in what the LTA can do for them, would just *** out of there.

Yes, maybe a bit idealistic, but I sense a bit of a stench in the LTA, perhaps eminating from the top.

Thing is are the folk at the top of the LTA accountable to anyone ? Will anyone be asking the questions about why someone like Sears has been made to feel this way and what maybe needs to change ?

-- Edited by indiana on Thursday 30th of June 2011 11:03:00 AM

DUSTY DICK · Club Coach

Hmm. That is a telling paragraph then if true. And you can imagine the problems being there just like always. On that basis you can't blame Sears for bailing out. Sometimes you just don't want the hassle. As a tennis fan and supporter of the Brits I actually call it a devastating blow for the supporters more than the LTA. Some things sadly never change. But still a shame he isn't going to work with a British player.

DUSTY DICK · Club Coach

Instead of butting out all those folk you can be sure will be there later at Wimbledon knocking back the Pimms and looking full of importance. Makes you boil with rage. I hope Murray lifts the trophy on Sunday afternoon and then sticks two fingers up at the LTA as they don't deserve to bask in any of his glory. The LTA is just a joke at times. The whole lot including Draper should be wiped away and a completely new bodie put in place that just focuses on the tennis and not egos. It won't happen of course so I'll stop saying silly things.

indiana · Tennis legend

Some interesting quotes from the BBC article.

From Nigel Sears :

"I don't want to go overboard - we're still talking about second-round defeats," he said in June.

"The girls are definitely getting better. They are making progress and the rankings reflect that. But it is little steps," said Sears. "If we are judging things on tour standards, we shouldn't be getting too excited about second-round defeats - even if the performances themselves were good ones."

There, to me, talks a man who just wanted British women's tennis to really get much better, and even when it is the area he was directly responsible for and thought by many to have done a good job in, he himself on no way oversold what was being achieved in world terms.

Contrast that with Roger Draper, who leaps onto any sort of success, often in isolation rather than in a rounded picture in particular of what matters, and so often seems to be more interested in giving the impression that a good job is being done than just going all out to see that a good job is indeed done.

And from Anne Keothavong, simply and tellingly :

"He has been one of the most influential people in my career and it's been a privilege to work with him. It's a loss for British Tennis and I wish him all the best working with Ana."

-- Edited by indiana on Thursday 30th of June 2011 11:30:19 AM

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

DUSTY DICK wrote:
[...] As a tennis fan and supporter of the Brits I actually call it a devastating blow for the supporters more than the LTA.[...]

Very good point, Dusty, & I wholeheartedly agree. Makes you wonder whether there's actually anyone left at the LTA who has the interests of British tennis genuinely at heart! hmm

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

indiana wrote:
Some interesting quotes from the BBC article.
From Nigel Sears :
"I don't want to go overboard - we're still talking about second-round defeats," he said in June.
"The girls are definitely getting better. They are making progress and the rankings reflect that. But it is little steps," said Sears. "If we are judging things on tour standards, we shouldn't be getting too excited about second-round defeats - even if the performances themselves were good ones."
There, to me, talks a man who just wanted British women's tennis to really get much better, and even when it is the area he was directly responsible for and thought by many to have done a good job in, he himself on no way oversold what was being achieved in world terms.

And it's that kind of honesty & sincerity that fans appreciate/can identify with &, dare I say it, makes them more inclined to patience & to allow the powers that be some leeway.

DUSTY DICK · Club Coach

When you look back over the years there have been a few good coaches who have shunned the LTA and gone to work with foreign players. Tony Pickard springs to mind. Look at his success with Edberg. I may be wrong but I don't think he had a lot of time for the LTA. My comment about the men in suits at the LTA generalises I feel many organisations, sport or other where you have more pen pushers than anything else. In a few weeks time we will hear again how many millions is being handed over again from Wimbledon to the LTA. Where does it all go? Ok there's events and facilities and I guess lots of things. But I have followed the Brits since the early 80's and every year the LTA say the same things. Sadly Roger Draper is just another in a long line who say things are getting better and it takes time. How much bloody time because all the evidence of the last 30 years or so indicate very little has changed. Yes we have more facilities and supposedly opportunities butnothing really changes. I love this site as folk on here are not the usual two week fans that pop up once a year. We know and follow what is happening at all levels and sometimes you feel the lower levels don't quite get enough recognition. We all have to start somewhere. Back to Sears and yes he always gave an honest and accurate assesment of where the GB girls were at. He had them at the forefront of his campaign and not his own self worth. To see Bally aheiving her potential now and Heather on the right path is so good for us. Maybe the LTA should invest some of their millions in one to one coaching for Watson and Robson. Do they sit down and chat with them to find out where they feel they are and what they would like. Another example is young Liam Broady. Talented and full of promise. Won last week at Roehampton and now in the last eight at Wimbledon having knocked out the top seed. We all know juniors of course is a long way from the seniors but even so results like that say to me that there is a young lad who regardless of nationality should if he works hard and is committed have a good chance of making the top 100 like others eventually. But the LTA have for whatever reason had their disagreements with the Broady family. It makes you despair. They should be bending over backwards to support and encourage players like that. Sadly if Murray was to win Wimbledon on Sunday nothing would change. The organisation needs to change far more than the players. So goodbye to Sears. It's like a nail in the coffin. Just when he was getting the players to start and maximise their potential and get the absoute best they could out of their games. That's all you ever ask of someone at the end of the day. As I said devastating for the supporters. I hope the men in suits choke on their cannapes and pimms this afternoon.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

^^^^^

That certainly came from the heart, Dusty! smile It's a pretty fair summary of the unholy mess & mass of contradictions that is British tennis, though. I only wish it weren't. cry How I'd love to see Andy & young Liam give the LTA a bloody nose by respectively carrying off the men's singles & the boys' singles titles this weekend.

Slightly off topic, but going back to OEM's Times article, his parting shot is that Ana I "tends to go through coaches like a dose of salts."! wink If that is the case, it will be interesting to see how long Nigel lasts.

PaulM · Tennis legend

Many expect him to have been sacked by the US Open *eek*

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Darth Draper strikes back - or tries to! disbelief