If these current photos show Marcus after having got a lot fitter than previously, I can't imagine what he must have been like when he was unfit! He's 22, not 17, so one would have hoped he had enough maturity to sort this out and stick to it. This is his job after all, and he will have zero chance of making top 100 without being super fit. I'm sure he knows this too, so one questions his willpower and dedication. There's plenty of other lads putting in the graft, Sao not sure what the excuse is.

I don't know Marcus (so I guess I give him the benefit of the doubt) but I agree 100% with your point, RJA.

'Learning to work' is a skill in the same way that learning a drop volley is a skill (and a more useful one). I've seen it in tennis and music, and with students - some people are more naturally talented at it than others but everybody has to work at it and improve - you can't just say 'tomorrow I'll start to really work' - you don't have the skills, you haven't learnt 'how' to really work. You can genuinely give 100% but, if you work at it, 6 months later your 100% will be miles bigger (and I don't mean that you'll bench press more or run further, but your actual 100% work effort will be more than your previous 100% work effort).

I'

korriban wrote:

---

RJA wrote:

---

I would have thought that if Dan wants to play the Izmir challenger in week 38 then he needs to skip Roehampton. He is currently 8th alt for Izmir (2 SEs to clear) so he is likely to be in qualifying if he goes there. If qualifying starts on the Saturday, as it normally does, he wouldn't be able to get there if he reached the Roehampton final and even if he made the SF it would be less than ideal. Sure he could easily get a Friday evening flight from London to Turkey but it isn't exactly great preparation.

---

 You can say that again - it would be terrible preparation!! I used to do the afternoon/evening flight to Turkey many times a year on business, and if you are lucky enough to get a 5pm flight to Istanbul, you rarely make it to your bed before midnight. I've done the evening flight (9pm) twice and that meant that there was almost no point going to sleep in situ at all. Ismir would be the same: if you had to play on the Saturday morning you'd be a wreck.

---

 

And so, after Dan saying his body gave up last week, and us all wondering how it's possible to play or why one should bother playing yet another 10k, Dan is still playing Roehampton (admittedly only the singles). And still, presumably, thinking somehow of getting to Turkey this weekend . . .Is anyone any the wiser ????