Best of luck, Alex.

And, so, with Alex and Ed, that makes TWO of my predictions for Sim's top ten have now retired :(

Well slightly disappointed to see the retirement of the only Northampton Town fan in Tennis which must have been great preparation for coping with some of the tough times he injued in the 24 years he played the game.

I am sure that since picking up a racket at the age of 4 he visualised himself playing Wimbledon, but walking the walk is an entirely different matter. Through your own talent winning your way into the Wimbledon main draw for a British player is special, yes fine when you are on the cusp of qualifying through rank, but to win his way through qualifying when ranked outside the top 500 is the stuff of fairy tales. Every year we are all a little deflated when the pile of QWC collapses, as it should do. If you are close by rank you are straight into the main draw and likely to suffer a first round about turn admittedly the bulging wallet and the experience handsomely compensate. To qualify as a mature player on that multiple futures winning but early round challenger/Qualifying hump is something we rarely see, I for one thoroughly enjoyed watching it. Generally it is the type of highlight that most fans who follow British Tennis across all the threads on the forum follow it for. Tennis is a pyramid scheme but 16 singles ITF tittles and a career high of 242 despite multiple injuries reflects a phenomenal talent level.

I know very little about Alexs career as a junior but can only find a couple of grade 4 and 5 tournaments indicative of little or no LTA support (but I am sure someone will put me right). He appears to have gone the hard way debuting in ITFs in Spain in 2007, taking a year and 16 tournaments to win through qualifying and then making a final in his 20th which must have been a lift. It wasnt until 2010 that he started going deep in futures (although he regularly beat a Mr Millman, whose he, before that) and again a good 18 months going deep in futures ie regular QFs and SFs before a breakthrough win in early Autumn in 2011 in Sweden.

In 2013 Alex started giving challengers and 250s a whirl, that summer he lost to Fogini and PCB almost back to back which must have been a sobering close up view of the next level. In 14/15/16 Alex was winning futures for fun and regularly progressing through a round or two of challengers. A Wimbledon MD WC in 2016 yielded a straight sets defeat to Goffin, but overcoming injury and justifying the 2017 QWC by winning through and winning the first set in R1 against a Mr Edmund must be the pinnacle of his career, his form continued with a deep run and final loss in the challenger in Columbus shortly afterwards.

Undoubtedly a career to be proud of indeed for a British player with no stellar junior track record about as good as you get, in the greater scheme of things not a bad way to spend the first 28 years of your life and a sensible time to take stock and move on to pastures new. More time watching the cobblers perhaps? 

-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Friday 7th of September 2018 06:53:34 AM

Leon Smith has tweeted a picture of a British training camp.
twitter.com/leonsmith/status/1072179012498280450
Players include: Dan Evans, Lloyd Glasspool, Aiden Mchugh, George Loffhagen of those i recognise. In the picture behind Dan and Aiden it looks like Alex. Not 100% sure its him. Does anyone know if hes now coaching? Unless hes given up on the retirement.

JonH wrote:

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I was trying to work out who the girl was in the centre, is that Laura Robson or one of the coaching or fitness staff?

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 Jodie Burrage

Madadman wrote:

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Leon Smith has tweeted a picture of a British training camp.
twitter.com/leonsmith/status/1072179012498280450
Players include: Dan Evans, Lloyd Glasspool, Aiden Mchugh, George Loffhagen of those i recognise. In the picture behind Dan and Aiden it looks like Alex. Not 100% sure its him. Does anyone know if hes now coaching? Unless hes given up on the retirement.

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 Ah, thanks for that.  Jack Draper not in there then? Evo doesn't look wholly comfortable, but maybe never does.

 

And the girl in the middle is on crutches it looks like  ?

Jodie def on crutches - wearing different shoe on right foot.

I noticed further down Leon's twitter feed he retweets a pic of the juniors who were taking part in the Eddie Herr recently. Daniel Smethurst making an appearance in that photo.