Week 43 - Great Britain F22 ($10,000) - Tipton (Hard)

A1 tennis academy · Satellite level

RE: Week 43 - Great Britain F22 ($10,000) - Tipton (Hard)

Salmon · Tennis legend

He'll be the first seed, unless one of the wild cards has gone to a higher ranked player (no chance).

indiana · Tennis legend

Seeding is based on rankings on the Monday of the previous week, as was discussed re Marcus's seeding ( somewhere ! ) in the Loughborough thread !

A1 tennis academy · Satellite level

Who won R2 qualities ?

Seb Jackson ( ITF senior /GB capt ) v I stoute

Must be around 25 year + age difference betw these 2 players Seb capt GB 40&over

A1 tennis academy · Satellite level

Coup Droit wrote:
A1 tennis academy wrote:
Who won R2 qualities ?
Seb Jackson ( ITF senior /GB capt ) v I stoute
Must be around 25 year + age difference betw these 2 players Seb capt GB 40&over
It was close but I'm afraid that the youngster snuck it 6-4 7-5
(Nearly) full Q2:
Oliver HUDSON (GBR)     6-2 7-5     Imran ASWAT (GBR) [1]
Oliver BRENNAN (GBR)     6-0 6-3     Ameer BUKSH (GBR)
Jesper BRUNSTROM (SWE) [2]     6-4 6-2     Alexis CANTER (GBR)
Isaac STOUTE (GBR)     6-4 7-5     Sebastian JACKSON (GBR)
Keelan OAKLEY (GBR)     6-0 6-2     Nicholas JONES (GBR) [3]
Adam SKALSKY (GBR)     6-2 7-5     Francois MEHLER (FRA)
Joshua PARIS (GBR) [4]     7-6(7) 6-3     Matthew PEARCE (GBR)
Tom ALLEN (GBR)     6-0 6-1     Robert ANIOLA (POL)
Samm BUTLER (GBR) [5]     5-0 Retired    Tiran SANGHERA (GBR)
Peter BOTHWELL (IRL)     3-6 6-3 6-3     Samuel SUTTON (GBR)
Scott DUNCAN (GBR) [6]     4-6 6-3 6-3     Christopher MORROW (GBR)
Sizya Ernest KIVANDA (GBR)     6-4 6-4     Joe WOOLLEY (GBR)
David PORTER (GBR) [7]     6-1 6-0     Jeremy DESPONT (SUI)
Graeme DYCE (GBR)     6-0 6-0     Ali KAMYAB (GBR)
I know seb very well and really think Isaac is going to find it tough at this level if he's struggling to defeat 42 year old ITF senior who failed to get a world ATP ranking in this prime . I watched Isaac closely at Roehampton and no weapons - serve is too weak to make it at this level

-- Edited by Coup Droit on Sunday 20th of October 2013 06:28:36 PM

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

A1, I completely agree about the Isaac's serve - but it's weird, he spends most of the match lobbing over dolly serves (which never get punished as they should because (a) the opponents don't return that well and (b) Isaac has such good natural ball skills that he manages to flick the ball back wherever it's returned and then win the rally) and THEN Isaac suddenly sends down an absolute belter of a serve, out of the blue.
So he's definitely got the big serve but chooses not to use it. Which begs the question . . . .
My theory is that he's still very slight for an 17 year-old and that he just hasn't got the strength to serve like that throughout the match and so keeps it in his weapon box and only uses it when he really needs to. But I'm not sure . ..
I think Isaac is a very talented boy, a natural athlete with excellent ball skills but there's still a few questions - not least: what does he actually want to do ? I know that he's a smart kid and doing his last year of A levels this year and expected to do very well (he's at a college that lets him take time out for competitions/training). So his big decision will come next summer - uni ? tennis ? US college ?

A1 tennis academy · Satellite level

If you look at other young hopefuls Eg Rob carter much physically stronger I simply think he's too small but sincerely hope he proves me wrong .

If he is a bright lad he may have already worked it out that he's gonna find it tough to make it as a pro - he's too slight but think he Could be a good college player .

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Well, Isaac is THREE years younger than Rob Carter which is a huge difference at that age.

And he's not particularly short (5ft 10 or so at a guess ? maybe 5 9). So he's got plenty of time to fill out and put on muscle. And, from what I understand, he hasn't been training flat out at all this past year (because of studies) so that's another point sort of in his favour.

I've no idea but the college route to being a pro tennis player may well make a lot of sense (as well as being quite a smart move in its own right).

But I do think he has a lot of natural talent and some beautiful tennis. Might be interesting a few years down the road . . .

indiana · Tennis legend

Yes, a few years can make a very big difference ( particularly where there is much room for physical development ) and Isaac appears to me to be at least about the level Rob Carter was at the same age.

A1 tennis academy · Satellite level

I think I get a gut feeling about a player hopefully I will get another chance to watch him in action this week & see wether it matches the first impression

steven · Tennis legend

I'll resist the temptation to ask if that's the same gut feeling that led you to say no to Novak wink

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Full doubles draw:

R1: (1) Lewis Burton & Marcus Willis CR 834 (408+426) vs BYE
R1: Rob Carter & Oliver Hudson CR 3402 (1701+1701 - I kid you not!) vs Peter Bothwell (IRL) & George Davies UNR
R1: (4) Jesper Brunström & Matthieu Roy (SWE/FRA) CR 1749 (528+1221) vs George Morgan & Neil Pauffley CR 1790 (751+1039)
R1: Keelan Oakley & Adam Thornton-Brown UNR vs Aaron Banasik & Sam Hutt UNR
R1: James Marsalek & Myles Orton CR 1865 (731+1865) vs Tom Farquharson & Harry Meehan CR 2458 (1735+723)
R1: Sizya Ernest Kivanda & Isaac Stoute vs (3) Kevin Griekspoor & Scott Griekspoor (NED/NED) CR 1427 (691+736)
R1: Matthew Bailey & Matthew Hingley UNR vs Graeme Dyce & Calum Gee UNR
R1: BYE vs (2) Adam Chadej & Vijay Sundar Prashanth (POL/IND) CR 1399 (647+752)

-- Edited by Stircrazy on Tuesday 22nd of October 2013 06:31:24 PM

A1 tennis academy · Satellite level

steven wrote:
I'll resist the temptation to ask if that's the same gut feeling that led you to say no to Novak

I did not say No they did because I said would have to switch allegiance to GB and play Davis cup .

Also I never saw him play even if I had I don't think it would have made any difference because my mindset was that you must play for GB - I have since changed this view . When that opportunity arose I had only been in tennis for 4-5 years it's now nearly 13 and I have worked with about 10 players and analysed a lot of players so have got a much better idea of what's required . And now when a teenager is 250 world already at 16/17 it obviously means a lot more ! Lol

A1 tennis academy · Satellite level

Coup Droit wrote:
Well, Isaac is THREE years younger than Rob Carter which is a huge difference at that age.

And he's not particularly short (5ft 10 or so at a guess ? maybe 5 9). So he's got plenty of time to fill out and put on muscle. And, from what I understand, he hasn't been training flat out at all this past year (because of studies) so that's another point sort of in his favour.

I've no idea but the college route to being a pro tennis player may well make a lot of sense (as well as being quite a smart move in its own right).

But I do think he has a lot of natural talent and some beautiful tennis. Might be interesting a few years down the road . . .

Yes I realise that but that opens up an interesting Potential thread about what is considered making it - and I guess that depends on the goals & objectives of the individual . It could be achieving a solitary ATP ranking point . But rarely do I meet a young pro that doesnt say top 100 is their goal . I guess less than 5% of current GB ATP ranked players & GB players in futures qualifying have this potential . This means that if everything is done that Could be done we would have 3 100 players at anyone time . The Lta have got to get better at identifying who those 2 players are and focusing on the the right group of players

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

It's interesting and arguable but, in general, I don't quite agree.

The French system spent 10 years trying to identify the absolute top talent and focus all their efforts on these players. It had some success obviously, But not the success they expected. And several of those who seemed to have no hope actually did as well or better as the top picks.

Now, you might say that that is simply because they did not identity the top picks correctly (easy with 20/20 hindsight). But the French realised that it is practically impossible to pick the top picks at age 17 when your career peak is age 27 i.e. you're picking children on the basis of what sort of men they will become.

And this is the key point, I feel - it's not really about the tennis level (although that is part of it) - it's the person, their dedication, their goals etc. etc. Most 17 year-olds are still playing because that's the childhood pattern they've grown up in. It's cool to play, they're at a fun tennis school, parents organise everything and make it easy, whatever . . .(not all, obviously, but most).

But between 17 and 21, say, you become a man, responsible for your own life, having to drive yourself, seeing what friends are doing in jobs/uni/wherever. It's suddenly a whole lot more complicated.

As such, the French now help a far greater number of players for a longer period of time. i.e. no hot-housing of a select few but a 'cast the net wide' approach. And it is really doing well. More top 100, more top 200, top 500 etc. etc. Still no male Grand Slam winner (how they would LOVE to have an 'Andy at Wimbledon' at next year's Roland Garros) but the depth is there.

(NB neither here nor there, I wouldn't put my money on Isaac either at this moment - partly due to the problem of all 17 year-olds (see above) but also I think he is going ot have some decisions to make. However, Enrique Vidal - age 16 - was the player who really shone for me when I saw both him and Isaac and a few other youngster play recently. But, as said, it's VERY eraly days . . .)