Top 20 British ATP doubles career highs

steven · Tennis legend

Top 20 British ATP doubles career highs

daisy · County player

Top 15 British ATP doubles career highs

steven · Tennis legend

LOL the problem seems to be that the ATP only hold one nationality for a player on their database, so they rewrite history by always showing Dowdeswell with his final nationality (i.e. British) in archive draws even when he was playing for another country at the time.

My "he was playing for Switzerland in 1980" was based on a search on the Times archive for 1980 for him - that found draw details for Wimbledon and a set of results from another tournament, in both of which he was shown as Swiss.

I think the first set of date ranges you listed for him are probably the correct ones. The 1981-1983 gap is explained by the fact that he gave up tennis to work in financey and then came back in late 1983 before finally retiring in 1986, doing an MBA and going back into finance. My guess is he didn't play for GB until that comeback in 1983, after which his doubles high was 31.

daisy · County player

steven wrote:
LOL the problem seems to be that the ATP only hold one nationality for a player on their database, so they rewrite history by always showing Dowdeswell with his final nationality (i.e. British) in archive draws even when he was playing for another country at the time.

My "he was playing for Switzerland in 1980" was based on a search on the Times archive for 1980 for him - that found draw details for Wimbledon and a set of results from another tournament, in both of which he was shown as Swiss.

I think the first set of date ranges you listed for him are probably the correct ones. The 1981-1983 gap is explained by the fact that he gave up tennis to work in financey and then came back in late 1983 before finally retiring in 1986, doing an MBA and going back into finance. My guess is he didn't play for GB until that comeback in 1983, after which his doubles high was 31.

I did wonder if the ATP had just gone down the route of alloting nationality based on place of birth i.e. GB. Presumably he got the Swiss 'nationality' based on residency status since he was at Uni there and beyond. Does it depend on where his passport came from at the time? He obviously didn't opt/offer to play for GB Davis Cup when his career was at a high so must have considered himself a national of whatever country he lived in.

steven · Tennis legend

Having checked who was the last Brit to make the ATP doubles top 10 (I was virtually certain it was Neil but wanted to make sure) and found that he peaked at 9, I then did a search for highest GB doubles ranking ever and ended up at this thread LOL, finding that I'd already done the 'research' more than 3 years ago! Anyway ...

Jamie Murray (up 7 at 8 today and up to 4 in the Race with John Peers) is the first Brit to make the top 10 of the ATP doubles rankings for 25 years and, I think (since the doubles rankings began in 1976 - ref. www.itftennis.com/procircuit/players/rankings-explained.aspx), the highest-ranked Brit in doubles since the ATP doubles rankings began.

So the best-ever British ATP singles and doubles rankings are now both held by Murrays!

-- Edited by steven on Monday 14th of September 2015 03:09:32 PM

Spectator · All-time great

Thanks for this, Steve. So in essence, the 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th ranked all-time CH Brits are all current players: (J Murray, 8; Jonny Marray, 15; Colin Fleming, 17; and Dom Inglot , 18). That's quite good.

steven · Tennis legend

Top 20 British ATP doubles career highs

A1 tennis academy · Satellite level

With my strong interest in doubles like to see both Neal skupski & Marcus Willis on that list one day . One of biggest problems is when your singles or doubles ranking is 300-400 it's not easy to get the right partner and ensure qualification problem I found when trying to get doubles partners for Marcus .

I tried a number of guys on your list and current ranking was an issue . Came close with Lewis burton but sadly their futures success was not recognised by The all england club with a Wimbledon doubles card 2014 & 2015 and Lewis effectively ran out of funding Shame they did not get the support from the LTA or the all England club which I believe their run and potential deserved . I was expecting at that stage a more supportive response which in hindsight was misguided .

Roger Draper to his credit agreed with me that Marcus was a player of future Davis doubles specialist potential and gave me several meetings to discuss it i wanted access to Louis Cayer but it was blocked by the then head of coaching . I tried but with lack of LTA support with a coach it was very difficult and demoralising . I could not understand the lack of reward & recognition if nothing else it sends out a poor message that you are on your own .

I tried to get a meeting with the new CEO but was declined . Real shame instead of working with the few rare sponsors/mentors like myself I think your looked at as outsider even a threat . Now I have resigned my support to A1 Pharmaceuticals LTC men's teams winning 2 national men's Aegon titles back to back which is great but not quite the same As achieving a dream of helping a player get into the top 100 singles or doubles maybe that will come later . Hopefully Marcus has got his wings back and will soar up the rankings .

-- Edited by A1 tennis academy on Tuesday 15th of September 2015 08:23:16 AM

-- Edited by A1 tennis academy on Tuesday 15th of September 2015 08:28:12 AM

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

A1, well done for all that you've done, and tried to do, vis-a-vis British tennis.

I find it a disgrace that you weren't even given a meeting with the new CEO.

I understand that funding is (for some reason) a real bugbear at the moment. And doubles was pushed down in the priority list.

But to not even grant you 30 mins of his precious time, to hear what a major private sponsor has to say, - that's incomprehensible.

And, as to access to Louis Cayer coaching, well that's exactly what the LTA should be doing, and is dead cheap.

i.e. direct funding to players is expensive and not that efficient (and perhaps doesn't send the right message).

But use of facilities costs very little. Louis Cayer should be doing doubles training weeks, say, a few times a year, for all the top GB players who want to come. They've got the blinkin' wonderful NTC facilities, Louis' salary is paid for, he can't be on a schedule SO tight that he's got not time if he juggles things round.

And it's a question of priorities and expertise.

Louis was down giving Lisa Philips some individual coaching (as we know from the long thread previously). WHY would you use a confirmed top doubles specialist to give some coaching to a junior not-very-highly-ranked girl (with some major technical issues)? When you've got doubles teams queuing up for extra help?

indiana · Tennis legend

Well done to Jamie Murray. With his Davis Cup win against the Aussies he has moved above a certain Mr Peers to a new GB highest career high of WR 7.

indiana · Tennis legend

Need to update that first post again re the guy at the top, though maybe hang on since it could get better and better before the week is out

Jamie Murray, with a little help from his mate Bruno, will be up to at least WR 6 after reaching the Aussie Open SF, passing Ivan Dodig ( 6380 points to 6190 ).

If he reaches the final he goes up to WR 4, passing the Bryans ( 6860 points to 6770 ).

If he wins the title he goes up further to WR 2, passing Rojer & Tecau ( 7660 points to 7060 ), leaving him then only behind Marcelo Melo ( 8360 points ).

-- Edited by indiana on Tuesday 26th of January 2016 10:12:42 AM

indiana · Tennis legend

And WR 2 it is for Jamie