Week 45 - ITF ($25K) - Opole, Poland - Carpet

Peter too · Tennis legend

RE: Week 45 - ITF ($25K) - Opole, Poland - Carpet

Maza1987 · Challenger level

(2)Sandra Zahlavova (CZE) d. (7)Naomi Broady (GBR) 63 26 75

philwrig · Hall of fame

Tough, but still further evidence that Naomi has the game to make it into the top 150 next year.

indiana · Tennis legend

Yes, Naomi has done very well.

I notice that she does ssem to play an awful lot of tornaments, though looking at the top 200, there are about 10 of them have played at least as many tournaments in the last year, and she is playing again next week and at the end of the month at least, so again a short close season.

I wonder if her lack of funding is anything to do with that, and whether just for her own and Liam's future tennis it might be better if some rapprochement with the LTA was possible.

They owe a lot to their family ( again I wonder if such a feeling of owing may be entirely helpful ), and I accept there is evidently real principle involved here, but just wondering....

steven · Tennis legend

indiana wrote:
Yes, Naomi has done very well.
I notice that she does ssem to play an awful lot of tornaments, though looking at the top 200, there are about 10 of them have played at least as many tournaments in the last year, and she is playing again next week and at the end of the month at least, so again a short close season.
I wonder if her lack of funding is anything to do with that, and whether just for her own and Liam's future tennis it might be better if some rapprochement with the LTA was possible.
They owe a lot to their family ( again I wonder if such a feeling of owing may be entirely helpful ), and I accept there is evidently real principle involved here, but just wondering....

It always feels very dangerous to comment on this situation given that we can have little idea of exactly what's gone on between the Broadys and the LTA over the years to get things to this point or, indeed, the reasons why they play the tournaments they do.

If (as has been rumoured) the breaking point was the way the LTA handled that photo episode, I can understand why they wouldn't want to get back in with people who seemed to prefer to create fairly random scapegoats and hang players out to dry for their own "look, we're getting tough" PR purposes instead of handling things like that with a bit more discretion, which surely an organisation with their young players' best interests at heart would have done. (I guess maybe that was impossible after the media had got hold of it, but I still can't believe the LTA couldn't have handled it better)

However, if the impressions I'm getting of Leon Smith are right (i.e. the impressions that came over from OEM's piece on him last month, which were that he was open-minded and didn't have any big axes to grind), then maybe if anyone can convince them that it's possible to wipe the slate clean and that funding can be accepted without having to accept excessive central control in return, he can.

In the end, it's not possible to put whatever has gone on in the past right - all that should matter now to all sides is giving Naomi and Liam the best chance to fulfill their undoubted potential, whatever that entails.

SMC1809 · All-time great

Count, this machine you've created really does talk some sense sometimes. Any chance you can introduce it to the LTA. They could really do with its input from time to time.

LordBrownof · Futures level

Exactly right Steven. Even though Naomi is a few years older it seems, for both of them, that the next year might be the most critical of their careers. In development terms, Naomi has the big weapons she just needs to work on her technical ability off the ground. If she could get the support that Anne and Bally got, she could hit top 100.

Pilster · Social player

For your information....... I know Naomi and her family very well and they are very positively focussed on their tennis, they never complain about the way they have been treated by the LTA [which is amazing] Which if you actually knew their reasons you would understand why they do not play ball [ no pun intended]

My understanding is that it stems from the cowardly way in which Mr Draper and the lta handled the Naomi press situation [section removed -see later post] which left the Broady family with such a bitter taste.

The Broadys just did not want to be involved with the hypocrites [section removed] prepared to throw Naomi to the Lions just for doing what teenagers do !

An inspirational family to us all.

-- Edited by steven on Monday 14th of November 2011 10:07:56 AM

indiana · Tennis legend

Clearly I am speaking from only scratchy things I have heard over the years about the issues.

Total respect for principles. My concern was and is only that both Naomi and Liam are huge talents. As long as the family holding to their position doesn't, and isn't likely to, particularly impact on their development fair enough. However, whatever the wrongs on the other side they should not martyr themselves if it does have a real effect, when I would think there might be a case for holding their noses against any stench and venture back within.

-- Edited by indiana on Saturday 12th of November 2011 06:15:11 PM

Maza1987 · Challenger level

Final
2)Broady/Mladenovic (GBR/FRA) d. Kania/Linette (POL/POL) 76(5) 64

Peter too · Tennis legend

indiana · Tennis legend

baxi2 wrote:
Does anybody know what is being referred to here ? [refers to the removed sections above]

No, and maybe best that anyone who thinks they do know says nothing more.

-- Edited by steven on Monday 14th of November 2011 10:09:57 AM

baxi2 · Lower Club Player

Indiana , your comments started the ball rolling I feel. you said "I accept there is evidently real principle here" and "there might be a case for holding their noses against any stench" Both Pilster and yourself seem to know something we dont. You then posted that "anyone who thinks they do know should say nothing more" Very strange

KK · Club Coach

baxi2 wrote:
Indiana , your comments started the ball rolling I feel. you said "I accept there is evidently real principle here" and "there might be a case for holding their noses against any stench" Both Pilster and yourself seem to know something we dont. You then posted that "anyone who thinks they do know should say nothing more" Very strange

Not really - we have tough libel laws in this country!

steven · Tennis legend

KK wrote:
baxi2 wrote:
Indiana , your comments started the ball rolling I feel. you said "I accept there is evidently real principle here" and "there might be a case for holding their noses against any stench" Both Pilster and yourself seem to know something we dont. You then posted that "anyone who thinks they do know should say nothing more" Very strange
Not really - we have tough libel laws in this country!

Yes, we do, and while I think it's fine for people to discuss stuff that has been reported in the media or that they have found out themselves (as long as it's not libellous), I don't think we should be allowing people to potentially put the forum in jeopardy by posting unsubstantiated rumours about specific people - especially if the none of the media sees fit to publish them, either because they are afraid doing so might get them into trouble or because the rumours are simply untrue.

In saying that, I'm not trying to judge whether the rumour Pilster mentioned is true or not (and it would hardly be surprising if there is more to the bust-up than meets the eye) but I get fed lots of unsolicited rumours on Twitter by people who are in the know (or think they are, or from people who know someone else who is in the know or thinks they are!) and most of them seem to be unsubstantiated gossip, so I would be very nervous about posting any of them as if they were fact if I didn't have any proof.

To be honest, I'm not very interested in the non-tennis-related gossip anyway - who cares who's supposedly 'doing' whom? *yawn*

In any case, I think it's more than possible to strongly criticise the LTA's handling of the Naomi press situation without having to contrast it with whatever other people at the LTA might or might not have been doing.

Hence, I'm going to do some mild edits on the posts above to take out the most personal references. This certainly doesn't mean I'm trying to take one side or the other - I just hope whatever ends up happening is whatever is best for Naomi and Liam long-term, but I'm in no position to judge what that might be!

I am very impressed though at the way the Broadys have continued to progress despite getting caught in the middle of all this and that none of what's happened seems to have affected their ability to get on well with the other players.

Any more speculation that gets onto dangerous ground also risks being removed without explanation or warning. Apologies if anyone thinks this is a bit heavy-handed - I'm very much for free speech and I don't like having to make judgements about what can safely be left in and what can't, but I'm pretty sure letting through unsubstantiated rumours presented as if they are fact (even without any gory details) is just a little bit too dangerous.

-- Edited by steven on Monday 14th of November 2011 10:22:33 AM