Week 1 - ATP 250 - Doha, Qatar (hard)

wolf · Tennis legend

RE: Week 1 - ATP 250 - Doha, Qatar (hard)

wolf · Tennis legend

But broken back 6-7(2) *2-3

wolf · Tennis legend

QF: Christopher Kas & Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER/GER) beat (4) Treat Huey (PHI) & Dominic Inglot 7-6(2) 7-5

stevemcqueen · Futures qualifying

Coup Droit wrote:
Helen40 wrote:
stevemcqueen wrote:
I wish I could make $10k for a week's work!
Yeah, but by the time he's flown himself and team round the world, eaten out, stayed in hotels etc, he'll be lucky to be in profit, let alone what he's got to fork out every week he doesn't win much.
Tough life unless you get to the top.

Absolutely. That 10k is not for one week's work but also for the four or five previous weeks where he wasn't earning anything. In fact, according to the ATP site, Dan (pre-LTA bonus top ups) has earned about USD 140 this year i.e. about GBP 85k i.e. about 1,500 a week, which is not too shabby but (as Helen says) hardly riches when you take off all the expenses.
And when you look at someone like Dan Cox - WR 250, with ATP money earned for the year of GBP 12.5k - you could cry. (Although Dave Rice is a good counter example - WR 321 with income of over 24k - probably not profitable but at least showing the canny financial acumen to (a) play some doubles, and (b) win your first round in the Wimbly qualies).

-- Edited by Coup Droit on Wednesday 1st of January 2014 12:07:10 PM

Yes, but given that it is the second largest prize money cheque of his career, he won't be complaining.

Neil Harman of The Times wrote a couple of paragraphs about the match: In the 3rd set, Dan played an airshot overhead and missed another from right on top of the net. Ernests commented "He needs to become stronger in the mind. He was throwing his racket and understandably he lost the third set 6-0. He has far, far to go."

Dan can learn and move on. I think he has an excellent chance of qualifying next week - that'll be another decent pay cheque.....

RJA · Hall of fame

stevemcqueen wrote:
Ernests commented "He needs to become stronger in the mind. He was throwing his racket and understandably he lost the third set 6-0. He has far, far to go."

This really is the ultimate case of the pot calling the kettle black.

indiana · Tennis legend

Ha Ha, I was thinking just that RJA.

Still a rather concerning final set. Evo is a good battler when he concentrates on his tennis, but it's not too long ago that he was even downing tools in futures and being on the end of bakery products.

RJA · Hall of fame

indiana wrote:
Ha Ha, I was thinking just that RJA.

Still a rather concerning final set. Evo is a good battler when he concentrates on his tennis, but it's not too long ago that he was even downing tools in futures and being on the end of bakery products.

To be honest I think a few sets like that are inevitable for Dan at the moment if he plays ATP events. He doesn't have a nice solid game and a reliable serve that makes you think he should always be able to get 2 or 3 holds in a set against all but the very best. Furthermore to compete with the likes of Gulbis he has to take risks but at the moment he lacks the experience at this level to know when he should be taking risks. It is a really fine line between taking the first opportunity to hit an aggressive ball, which is how he should play, and looking to be aggressive when the ball isn't there to be hit. Even in the best case scenario for this season, where Dan marches into the top 100 and beyond, I would still expect a few terrible looking results and quite a few bakery products.

What is pleasing is Dan's own response, which was a simple "not good enough" which coupled with Harman's comments that he wasn't even happy with his level in the second set does give a positive indication about his level of ambition for this year.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

RJA wrote:
stevemcqueen wrote:
Ernests commented "He needs to become stronger in the mind. He was throwing his racket and understandably he lost the third set 6-0. He has far, far to go."
This really is the ultimate case of the pot calling the kettle black.

I read an interview a year or two back where Ernests said that his mum had given him a talking to, saying something along the lines of: for Pete's sake, Ernie, if you're going to carry on messing around and acting up and having meltdowns on court, you'd might as well give up tennis now and get on with something half-way worthwhile with your life.

I can't help wondering if Mrs. Gulbis read her son's interview and had a right laugh . . . and, yes, thinking whatever the Latvian is for 'talk about the pot calling the kettle black, son' . . .

RJA · Hall of fame

Coup Droit wrote:
RJA wrote:
stevemcqueen wrote:
Ernests commented "He needs to become stronger in the mind. He was throwing his racket and understandably he lost the third set 6-0. He has far, far to go."
This really is the ultimate case of the pot calling the kettle black.

I read an interview a year or two back where Ernests said that his mum had given him a talking to, saying something along the lines of: for Pete's sake, Ernie, if you're going to carry on messing around and acting up and having meltdowns on court, you'd might as well give up tennis now and get on with something half-way worthwhile with your life.
I can't help wondering if Mrs. Gulbis read her son's interview and had a right laugh . . . and, yes, thinking whatever the Latvian is for 'talk about the pot calling the kettle black, son' . . .

And it isn't like you can say that Gulbis has improved. He received a game penalty during a tournament last year.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

NB Loving, but loving, how Monfils is playing at the moment !

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Just back from a fairly lengthy Christmas/New Year visit to the wild & woolly north east & have skimmed the last couple of pages or so of this thread, but can't see this already reported anywhere. Forgive me if it has:

QF: (1) Alexander Peya & Bruno Soares (AUT/BRA) CR 7 (4+3) defeated Andy Murray & Nenad Zimonjic (SRB) CR 112 (108+14) by 7-6(5) 6-4

-- Edited by Stircrazy on Thursday 2nd of January 2014 10:47:09 PM

wolf · Tennis legend

Stircrazy wrote:
Just back from a fairly lengthy Christmas/New Year visit to the wild & woolly north east & have skimmed the last couple of pages or so of this thread, but can't see this already reported anywhere. Forgive me if it has:
QF: (1) Alexander Peya & Bruno Soares (AUT/BRA) CR 7 (4+3) defeated Andy Murray & Nenad Zimonjic (SRB) CR 112 (108+14) by 7-6(5) 6-4

-- Edited by Stircrazy on Thursday 2nd of January 2014 10:47:09 PM

I was using the Andy's section to report his results, SC. wink

I think we do normally put his doubles results in British men discussion, but that's only because he normally plays with fellow Brits.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

wolf wrote:
Stircrazy wrote:
Just back from a fairly lengthy Christmas/New Year visit to the wild & woolly north east & have skimmed the last couple of pages or so of this thread, but can't see this already reported anywhere. Forgive me if it has:
QF: (1) Alexander Peya & Bruno Soares (AUT/BRA) CR 7 (4+3) defeated Andy Murray & Nenad Zimonjic (SRB) CR 112 (108+14) by 7-6(5) 6-4
I was using the Andy's section to report his results, SC.
I think we do normally put his doubles results in British men discussion, but that's only because he normally plays with fellow Brits.

Whoops! Am so rusty after nearly two weeks (& unused to reading posts in the Andy forum because of his long lay-off!) that I didn't actually think of that...