LTA Calendar 2015

wimdledont · Challenger level

RE: LTA Calendar 2015

paulisi · Tennis legend

Am I correct in saying that the wildcard playoffs start later in the week?

Those attending are unlikely to get past the first few days of the WTA or 50K and are then free to play the wildcard event.

The difficult choice is 50K or WTA qualifiers - a dilemma for the likes of Katy, Katie, EWS, Naomi, Joko, Naomi C etc. Obvious Katy was the big beneficiary last year when choosing WTA qualifiers and making it through and a decent pay check and points.

philwrig · Hall of fame

The upside of course is that the fields are weaker, so more opportunity for ranking points, but it certainly will be interesting to see how it works out, as everybody will be trying to get as much grass court practice ahead of Wimby.

wimdledont · Challenger level

There's all sorts of sides to this.

I personally actually prefer to watch clay court tennis, and I think it the best contest for the players. Given the decadal changes in tactics, racquet technology, etc... But...

British tennis is stuck with Wimbledon, and always will be; and that's grass, and always will be.

As such, the LawnTA must always be a handmaiden of the great Wimburger; and lay on some grass practice tourneys for the international contenders for the original, and best, Championships.

But if you are a little French girl, and playing on clay since aged 3, you are laughing at this programme. The Britchicks (often) prefer grass: so play on their preferred surface for one month of 12. French girls can play in ITF competitions on clay in 12 months out of 12. Play 30 tournaments per year on your 'home turf', discard all but your best 16 scores, and peer down the rankings at some poor (literally = has no money) little Britchick who is being judged on maybe as little as 3 weeks' results on her preferred surface.

And I'm at all not convinced that the fields will be weak for the 50ks. Everysinglova who cannot make the cut-off for the WTAs will be entered for the ITF 50ks.

paulisi · Tennis legend

The men's 50K challenger in Manchester is loaded and I would expect Ilkley to be the same.

The cut off is 159 and only James Ward has made the cut. Kyle didn't enter. Liam might sneak in, but all the rest will have to hope for wildcards.

Could be an interesting qualifying draw with lots of Brits featuring.

philwrig · Hall of fame

paulisi wrote:
The men's 50K challenger in Manchester is loaded and I would expect Ilkley to be the same.

The cut off is 159 and only James Ward has made the cut. Kyle didn't enter. Liam might sneak in, but all the rest will have to hope for wildcards.

Could be an interesting qualifying draw with lots of Brits featuring.

Thanks, interesting call for Kyle, but he's probably weighing up the fact that its going to be a packed schedule, with him likely to play Surbiton, Queens, Nottingham and Wimby. Qualifying starts on Sunday, but I won't get there until Tuesday at the earliest. Ilkley shouldn't be quite as stacked as Queens will run alongside that one.

paulisi · Tennis legend

I may well be down on the Sunday and maybe the Tuesday afternoon dependant on weather OOP and the number of GB players.

wimdledont · Challenger level

As noted on another thread, the initial entry list for the Eastbourne is now up on the ITF site.

As I predicted above, it is packed with most of the international field for Wimbledon qualifiers. Only Jo Konta is a DA, with no other British woman making the cut for qualifiers - which is around WR200, close to the cut-off for acceptance to Wimbledon qualifiers. Next week, WR200 would be No2 Seed in the main draw at a 50k in Korea.

On the Alts list, Naomi Broady is No.19, and there are a further 14 British women who have a ranking, plus 33 unranked up-and-coming juniors, who would be better off hoping for wildcards at British-staged 10ks. Only there aren't any; so they're in the queue here instead.

Given the LTA's stated goal, and I'm paraphrasing Mr Downey here, of preventing any of our players pursuing a career in professional tennis, unless they have magically been promoted into the top 100, without having any competitions to compete in, this all looks like a resounding triumph.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

wimbledont - well put!

From my knowledge of French players, they will be overjoyed at the new pre-Wimbly grass tournaments.

Everyone hates grass, turn up for the grass season looking like beginners, can't get any court practice because (a) it's raining, (b) the courts need protecting (c) everyone else is lining up for the courts, it's a complete scrum.

So they enter a tournament, lose in the first round, enter the doubles too (even though they hate doubles) just to get the feel of some grass (not a huge success either).

So now we've laid on extra practice for them ???? More matches, more court time, more practice courts - yippee ! How kind !

If Downey wanted to help the Brits, he'd put the extra grass tournaments on AFTER wimbledon (a lot of grass-hating foreigners will disappear back home then as it's not important now Wimbly no longer is hanging over them). Even spectators would probably prefer this - we're all tennis-mad for a few weeks after Wimbly (not a lot beforehand though).

And instead he should hire a grass club BEFORE wimbledon (or before one grass WTA/Chally) and run a two-week intensive grass training block for 20 or so british players (if they wish to come). So hush-hush secret training on the grass, coaches, hitting partners, etc. - all laid on. All very Iron Curtain Soviet style. Then our players might gain an edge, if that's what he's looking for.

Otherwise, you might as well just hand out the grass court victories like sweeties to the peskies.

philwrig · Hall of fame

To be fair to the LTA alot of the funding for the pre Wimby tournaments comes direct from the Wimby coffers, not sure what the split is, but its a large amount.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

philwrig wrote:
To be fair to the LTA alot of the funding for the pre Wimby tournaments comes direct from the Wimby coffers, not sure what the split is, but its a large amount.

Fair point. But I'm not making a distinction. British tennis is British tennis, as far as I'm concerned.

indiana · Tennis legend

I don't know whether to laugh or cry about the end of wimbledont's post, but well put indeed !

Is Mr Downey's job description available to view ?

wimdledont · Challenger level

Eastbourne situation is a lot better after international withdrawals.

Entry lists to all of the UK WTA grass tournaments down the following rabbithole...

www.tennisforum.com/forumdisplay.php

Shhh · Challenger level

Coup Droit wrote:
wimbledont - well put!

From my knowledge of French players, they will be overjoyed at the new pre-Wimbly grass tournaments.

Everyone hates grass, turn up for the grass season looking like beginners, can't get any court practice because (a) it's raining, (b) the courts need protecting (c) everyone else is lining up for the courts, it's a complete scrum.

So they enter a tournament, lose in the first round, enter the doubles too (even though they hate doubles) just to get the feel of some grass (not a huge success either).

So now we've laid on extra practice for them ???? More matches, more court time, more practice courts - yippee ! How kind !

If Downey wanted to help the Brits, he'd put the extra grass tournaments on AFTER wimbledon (a lot of grass-hating foreigners will disappear back home then as it's not important now Wimbly no longer is hanging over them). Even spectators would probably prefer this - we're all tennis-mad for a few weeks after Wimbly (not a lot beforehand though).

And instead he should hire a grass club BEFORE wimbledon (or before one grass WTA/Chally) and run a two-week intensive grass training block for 20 or so british players (if they wish to come). So hush-hush secret training on the grass, coaches, hitting partners, etc. - all laid on. All very Iron Curtain Soviet style. Then our players might gain an edge, if that's what he's looking for.

Otherwise, you might as well just hand out the grass court victories like sweeties to the peskies.

An excellent point Coup. We have 2 x 15ks on grass scheduled (2nd week of Wimbledon and the 1st week after). Immeadiately after them would help the futures players and, for those more likely to be looking at challengers anyway, theres plenty of others on so it shouldn't be too loaded. The perfect week to my mind.......though if staged it'd probably not stop raining!

wimdledont · Challenger level

The initial entry list for the Surbiton 50k is up on the ITF site. Same-same but different.

It coincides with the WTA 250 Nottingham, so JoKo hasn't entered. NaomiB is Alt22. All the usual suspects, including again 38 unranked UK women, follow. Notable absence: Swan. Notable presences: Boulter and Gabi Taylor.

There used also to be 10ks women's tournaments - Felixstowe and Frinton, maybe - in the weeks after Wimbledon.

Is there any good technical reason why the grass tennis season can't last as long as the cricket season?