I'd also mention if that if say the British cycling hierarchy had just featured on disadvantages and excuses for such a traditional non cycling nation as us rather than just so commit to pull togrther for improvement and excellence ( famously made up of a sum of the very many small gains ) then British cycling would be in nothing like the position it is now.
There is much in British tennis, including nen's singles, that can and should be better. No matter how good a year this has arguably been, it is no time for back slapping but to look to improve further.
FINAL: Liam Broady WR 235 lost to (6) James Duckworth (AUS) WR 150 (CH 132 in 2013) by 5-7 6-3 6-2
As has already been mentioned, Liam has definitely ensured both GB singles no. 3s will be Broadys today. Desein lost in the Eckental semis, JP Smith lost in the Traralgon semis and Jarmere Jenkins lost to Klahn in the Traralgon final, which were the three results it looked like Liam needed to be WR 200 Even if the calculation is slightly wrong and he turns out to be WR 201, he'll be able to celebrate overtaking his coach's career high - Mark Hilton's CH was 202, set in June 2005!
I tweeted this on Saturday night but was out and couldn't easily access the forum - Liam is the 15th Brit to have made at least one ATP Challenger singles final since the start of the year 2000 and funnily enough, Hilts was the first of those 15, when he made the Hull Challenger final in February 2000. It is also the 49th time a Brit has made a Challenger singles final in the 2000s.
When you think that in mid-September, Liam was yet to pick up his first Challenger main draw match win, his progress in the last few weeks has been pretty astonishing!
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GB on a shirt, Davis Cup still gleaming, 79 years of hurt, never stopped us dreaming ... 29/11/2015 that dream came true!
I tweeted this on Saturday night but was out and couldn't easily access the forum - Liam is the 15th Brit to have made at least one ATP Challenger singles final since the start of the year 2000 and funnily enough, Hilts was the first of those 15, when he made the Hull Challenger final in February 2000. It is also the 49th time a Brit has made a Challenger singles final in the 2000s.
The significant point here is that since March 2009 when Dan Evans won in Jersey, all our Challenger finalist appearances have come in overseas tournaments whereas prior to this roughly half were in UK-based Challengers. I think our recent crop of players are more realistic to see pro-tennis for what it is - as a world game where points and rankings, ultimately, are won on the world stage and not by easier pickings from hanging around the LTA circuit.
While I understand the sentiment behind that, Eddie, I would have thought that a signuficant factor has been much fewer home challengers, to the extent that this year we were reduced to a couple of stacked grass challengers.
While I understand the sentiment behind that, Eddie, I would have thought that a signuficant factor has been much fewer home challengers, to the extent that this year we were reduced to a couple of stacked grass challengers.
Nothing less worthy in reaching the final of a UK Challenger provided the field is strong, I agree with you. What I think is good though, better even, is doing it outside your comfort zone and we're seeing more of that now, countering the old adage that Brits don't travel - Brailsford's marginal gains and all that. Remember Andy Murray going straight from his exploits at Queens and Wimbledon in 2005 to pick up titles in Aptos and Binghampton. His career took off from that point (despite Petchey as coach!). I see the roots of Broady's recent success in his earlier season experience on the US pro-circuit despite any impact at the time.
-- Edited by EddietheEagle on Monday 3rd of November 2014 10:52:49 AM
Good stuff, that extra place to WR 199 means Tara will accept Liam into the top 200 club :)
And it is nice to move to a 1 at the start.
LOL yes, I was thinking that - nice that the live rankings were wrong by 1 place in the better direction, if you see what I mean
Liam is probably just as happy that he has taken out his coach's career high (202 in 2005) and Mark happy that having just missed out on the top 200 as a player, he has now made it as a coach
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GB on a shirt, Davis Cup still gleaming, 79 years of hurt, never stopped us dreaming ... 29/11/2015 that dream came true!
Paragraph on BBC sportsday live reporting at 13.23, noting that Liam was a losing finalist yesterday, is Brit no. 3, ranked at 199, and should be eligible for Aus Open.
and with picture (not with terrible outfit yesterday)! can't copy and paste it.