Week 20 - Greece F7 ($10,000) - Marathon-Athens (Hard)

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

Week 20 - Greece F7 ($10,000) - Marathon-Athens (Hard)

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

He was just playing with you all . . . .

Well done,, my man . . .

NB quote from a US website about yesterday's win :

"I wouldn't be too disappointed by Peliwo's loss as this was a deceptively tough match up for him. Rice is a seriously underrated player and his singles career has suffered because of his focus on doubles but he should easily be top 400, if not higher. He has a very good serve volley game and plays with a lot of spin and variety. Pelwio will not have played that many matches against someone like him".

Although maybe, in fact, that was posted by someone from this forum (Brit Tennis Fan ???? anyone ?)

-- Edited by Coup Droit on Sunday 19th of May 2013 02:43:36 PM

LHarvey89 · Social player

It's difficult to pinpoint what has gone wrong with Josh this year - is it injuries (I know he was on antibiotics for a while, and then rolled his ankle a couple of weeks back) or is it a case that his heart is not in it any more? The only reason I suggest the latter is because of the murmurings of retirement towards the tail-end of last year. That, coupled with his unsuccessful - as someone called it on here or Twitter - "final push" to compete at Challenger level last year means I wonder if his motivation levels have dropped. After all, he was always competing in Futures because he said he couldn't afford to go abroad - but insisted that he "still had it" at CH level. I don't have the results to hand from last year, but I remember he took in about five/six different tournaments in October/November time and had very little to show for it. He hasn't got going since.

There is absolutely no way that Josh from last season would've lost to the likes of Halebian, Vaisse, or even Richard Gabb (twice, in straight sets). If he comes up against a "form" player (having a good week, playing well above their ranking) there is almost an air of inevitability that he will lose at the moment. He is better than what we're seeing and it must be frustrating for him, so I do feel sorry for him. He's 27, approaching 28, and still has a good few years in him - but he needs to try and find some answers/solutions quick as to why he is struggling.

Good luck to Dave Rice today, here's hoping he can land his second career singles title. He's having a great week and it does make you question the singles/doubles dilemma. That said, if he gets dumped out of a tournament early doors against a lowly player like he did against Baradech a few weeks back, we would then all start saying he should've stuck with his reliable doubles! Dave has always had a good performance in him, he's one of our players (like Daniel Evans) who I sometimes can see upsetting a higher ranked player. Didn't Dave bagel Janowicz only last year en route to a straight sets victory?!

In rather strange fashion, I had a dream that I went to watch his match today and was sat next to Halebian's family - with the American taking the opening set 6-4!

RJA · Hall of fame

I don't think it is difficult to pinpoint Josh's problems this year. He is a confidence player who can totally dominate when things are going well. For two years he has walked around British futures events like he owns the place, he had the aura of the "top dog", he expected to thrash the lesser lights of British tennis and many of them expected to be thrashed by him. Unfortunately his confidence has always been immensely fragile and it does look like his failed attempt to make a go of it on the challenger tour last Autumn has hit him hard. His confidence is low, the aura has gone and other players now think that they can beat him. Worst of all he seems to be playing way too passively and playing to his opponents strengths not his own. A Josh Goodall that wants to trade lengthy rallies from the baseline is a best a decent futures player where as an aggressive Josh Goodall is easily a top futures player and IMO easily be good enough to be a challenger player, if he had the mental strength to go with his game. I know that courts around the world have been slowed down but that really is no excuse. Josh needs to play his game regardless of the court as he will never make a good grinder. His style of play is however only a symptom of the problem, he desperately needs to rediscover his self belief. The grass court season might just do that for him, but I suspect that it will be the post Wimbledon futures that provide him with the opportunity and not the pre-Wimbledon challengers and ATP events.

I have said it before and I will say it again, he made a catastrophic error last summer. He had started the year very well but made the mistake of playing British futures over the summer. He then went to US Open qualifying without having had any decent preparation against high calibre opposition and so unsurprisingly flopped. He then tried to step up to challengers during the European indoor season where the fields were, as usual, very strong. A much better bet would have been to play challengers in the states over the summer. He had the ranking to do so and those events are normally much weaker than those in Europe. Would it have made any difference, maybe not, but it would have give him a better chance.

paulisi · Tennis legend

Late start for Dave 3pm local time assuming Lucy has finished her final by then.

blob · All-time great

They're under way now: *0-1

murray_2k9 · Challenger qualifying

I cant find the scores on the ITF live scores?

blob · All-time great

A refresh and "Greece F7 Futures" should help you find it (?)

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

First break of serve goes the way we want.

Dave to serve at *4-3

paulisi · Tennis legend

Dave gets the first break 4*-3

DF · Tennis legend

One more game needed for the set

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

Another break and the first set is in the bag 6-3

Come on !!

DF · Tennis legend

First set in the bag as they say

6 - 3

paulisi · Tennis legend

Excellent start. Time to finish the match off in straight sets and get that ranking back up to around 600

paulisi · Tennis legend

Another break for Dave - cruising 3*-1