Week 26/27 - Wimbledon women's main draw - grass

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Week 26/27 - Wimbledon women's main draw - grass

korriban · Challenger level

Paul. I'm on your side really! smile

Journalists like a story. The story isn't the individual loss of a Sam Murray or an Elena Baltacha. I'd like to think they get no joy out of personal insults (actually, they probably do).

The story is the fact that for year after year after year we never have more than 1 or 2 men's and 1 or 2 women's players who line up for the Grand Slams (as especially Wimbledon) by right. Despite the fact that we are the proud country behind the greatest tennis tournament of them all, with perhaps the richest governing body in the sport.

As a young athlete, therefore, you could hardly argue that young British tennis players are somehow disadvantaged compared to, say, the Serbs or the Croats or the Belgians.........limited populations, limited budgets, no Grand Slams or major tournaments.

So the journalists find it extraordinary that every year we need to resort to WCs not for our 10th or 15th ranked players, but our 2nd or 3rd ranked players. The fact that these WC players then go on to lose en masse (yes I know they are invariably lower ranked, but with local support & more grass court practice they ought to be able to fight slightly above their pay grade. Furthermore, as we know in sport (just ask Rafa and Stan) it is exceptionally unusual for, say, 7 favourites out of 7 to win their matches, so statistically en masse losses shouldn't happen.

I think what I am trying to say (badly, I know) is that the journos are having a pop at the somewhat farcical general situation in GB elite tennis versus where we ought to be, rather than having a personal pop at the Sam Murray's and Elena's.......they are simply using them as examples of a bigger issue.

Enough already!

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

Tara is doing so well in this match. Love the variation on the backhand; some super slices and solid double-handers. Not so sure of the wisdom of running around her backhand in order to hit a forehand. So naturally she runs around it and hits a screaming winner crosscourt.

-- Edited by kundalini on Tuesday 25th of June 2013 06:08:29 PM

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

Crowd are really into this match. Tara saves mp with an unreturned first serve. 5-5

Umpire over-rules when it looks like Tara has broken. The close calls certainly haven't gone Tara's way in this match.

-- Edited by kundalini on Tuesday 25th of June 2013 06:24:01 PM

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Three games. Three breaks. Madison not serving so well. Heather looking a little more settled.

The second set is looking better . . . .

Jaggy1876 · Grand Slam Champion

A lot of comments have been made about the lack of vocal support of some of the Brits yesterday. Sam Murray, Ward in the beginning and Keothavong and it is probably as Korriban says probably because they are losing to players that Wimbledon goers haven't heard of assuming they should beat them when in fact they are unlikely to. A bit more support yesterday might have given them an extra few points. The press and crowd are expecting too much from our limited pool of players and all that is happening is more pressure is being applied.

Jaggy1876 · Grand Slam Champion

Heather starting to settle now talking of pressure. Even when heather is playing below her best she can dig out a result which probably makes her different from our other top 6 ladies.

tony_orient · ATP qualifying

Heather has started playing a bit more aggressively, which she often does when behind, and often to good effect. Keys is up and down as you would expect from an 18 year old but certainly showing how talented she is.

tony_orient · ATP qualifying

Jaggy1876 wrote:
A lot of comments have been made about the lack of vocal support of some of the Brits yesterday. Sam Murray, Ward in the beginning and Keothavong and it is probably as Korriban says probably because they are losing to players that Wimbledon goers haven't heard of assuming they should beat them when in fact they are unlikely to. A bit more support yesterday might have given them an extra few points. The press and crowd are expecting too much from our limited pool of players and all that is happening is more pressure is being applied.

I was a bit surprised there wasn't more vocal support for Bally and Kyle yesterday when I was watching on court 3, but to be fair there was plenty of support when Bally pulled the first set back to 5-4. It justneeds a competitive match to get the crowd going - unfortunately you will never get the Olympics atmosphere at Wimbledon (for Bally and for hev today being first on at 11:30 doesn't help as the court is half empty)

tony_orient · ATP qualifying

Heather plays her best game of the match to hold for 5-5 but Keys gets the big serving going again and Heather will serve at *5-6

tony_orient · ATP qualifying

That last game probably sums up how it's gone for the British girls so far - two ridiculous net chords at 0-15 and 0-40.

PaulM · Tennis legend

Keys is good. Very good.

Hev just not good enough on the day to cope with the power, and Madison was way more consistent that I expected, thought she'd have very ragged periods but not at all.

Shame, it's not like Hev played badly at all.

In relation to the Bally/Kyle crowd, they were on court 3, which is usually half empty cos it's ticketed. They need to get rid of that system and leave it fully open to the public. It looked less than half full when Bally started yesterday.

A131 · Intermediate Club Player

''In relation to the Bally/Kyle crowd, they were on court 3, which is usually half empty cos it's ticketed. They need to get rid of that system and leave it fully open to the public. It looked less than half full when Bally started yesterday. ''

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I don't think you should get rid of a system just because it did not produce the result you were hoping for or try and use lack of crowd support as an excuse as to why they lost. As wildcards, they should be grateful they are in the tournament at all.

PaulM · Tennis legend

Court 3 (and to a lesser extent court 2) usually have massive gaps in the crowd irrespective who is playing - nothing to do with trying to find an excuse for the Brits.

If all of the outside courts were non-ticketed they would all be full.

tony_orient · ATP qualifying

PaulM wrote:
Court 3 (and to a lesser extent court 2) usually have massive gaps in the crowd irrespective who is playing - nothing to do with trying to find an excuse for the Brits.

If all of the outside courts were non-ticketed they would all be full.

It's difficult because the 11:30 start time is going to lead to the court being quite empty at the start but the BBC want to show a British match in that window before Centre court starts. The other reason is that often on Court 3 the matches aren't obviously more attractive than other matches in the ground. A couple of years ago I had a court 3 seat that largely remained empty because there were more interesting matches on the outside courts (maybe this shouldn't be allowed but if it is and I've paid my money I'll watch whatever match I feel like).

In their latest renovation plans Wimbledon stated that they would prefer more unticketed courts, but that this requires queueing space which doesn't currently exist.