Weeks 21-22 - French Open - Roland Garros Men's Main Draw (Clay)

RJA · Hall of fame

RE: Weeks 21-22 - French Open - Roland Garros Men's Main Draw (Clay)

Spectator · All-time great

Just out of curiosity, how so? As I understand it, he was born in South Africa and moved here when he was three with his family, who came because of his father's job.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

I'm just not that curious.

It's a small world, people move for opportunity and the ability to enhance the quality of or safety of their lives and that of their families. My capacity to do my job is significantly enhanced from a period of highly specialised training abroad. Within the business in which I work that is the general expectation and is considered a marker of quality, as it is in many other bussinesses, walks of life.
In tennis it's obviously essential, to become the best you can be.

Sean Connery through Salman Rushdie to Magdi Jacoub etc... I as someone who through chance had the opportunity to grow up in the same Birmingham overspill town as such greats as well no one of any great significance ....take great pride in the achievements of them all.

Why, I don't know, it's all slightly irrational full stop. It is slightly more rational when you follow a players development and begin to invest in their performance etc.... ie watch them become the best they can be.

It is however essential that we all declare our ancestry and perhaps those that can demonstrate being from a blood line exclusively born and resident in Great Britain since the signing of the Magna Carta could construct a thread on which this and other Daily Mail ( unless very very funny in a Pitch Perfect II kind of way... Don't miss it ) issues of the day can be discussed. We can also restrict discussion to tennis involving only players that fit the criteria and then perhaps only when playing players who also fit the criteria, because the others, really when you think about it aren't really worth discussing.

Once Scotland finally leaves Great Britain the thread can become even more specific.

-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Sunday 24th of May 2015 07:05:05 AM

Spectator · All-time great

I think, Oakland, that you're making the same point I am ... and that my initial comment and response to RJA may have been misunderstood. All of our players have identified as GB - and we support them as British players. But there are those elements of the tabloid press which refer to immigrants - which Mr Bedene, and the Edmund family (so far as I know), and Ms Konta also are - as if they couldn't possibly ever become British or contribute anything positive to British society. I was simply pointing out the gap between the anti-immigrant rhetoric and the reality of the benefits people bring to the country which they have chosen... benefits which those purveying the rhetoric are often happy to accept on behalf of the country, without acknowledging that it might just indicate that their overall stance is open to question.

As it happens, by the way, I don't regard "immigrant" as a perjorative term - it simply means that you have moved from one country to another ... and if we ever reach the stage where it is automatically assumed to be perjorative, that would be genuinely worrying.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

yes, Spectator, that's how I read your initial post - not a post that British tennis has nothing but quasi-foreign players (although that's for another post and it's a point that's worth exploring) but that 'foreigners' are an extremely welcome addition to our society in general and that the press love them when it comes to tennis, and many other spheres of life, but conveniently forget that when it comes to general media scare-mongering about other aspects.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

your point is well made, mine is the red tops and mail's coverage will have all the journalistic credence of Fox News and really only worth commenting on only if it reaches levels ripe for parody.

wimdledont · Challenger level

The men's doubles draw is up on the RG site. As I suspect this may be the wrong thread...

huntley93 · Strong Club Player

dont see it being a problem, look at the number of imports other sports such as rugby have. The england team along Manu tualangi, vunipola brothers, brad barritt others from home nations include toby faletau, tim visser, sean maitland, all of these guys are very popular with the fans. Also edinburgh rugby are now recruiting oversea players to play for scotland in a few years once they qualify on residency. one example is WP nel who is going to be eligble to represent scotland in the world cup.

Although since bedene has already represented Slovenia at international level i dont think he should be allowed to play for GB as well, if he hadnt represented Slovenia i dont see it being a problem to play for us

-- Edited by huntley93 on Sunday 24th of May 2015 12:15:38 PM

indiana · Tennis legend

Don't get me started on rugby union's farcical residency rules."Recruiting overseas players to play for Scotland" says it all.

The current tennis situation in top GB tennis players is much more coincidence rather than anything, with various hugely more legitimate reasons for representing GB, not least being British !

And such as Kyle and Laura have grown up in Britain and British tennis.

indiana · Tennis legend

And James Ward is all British ( as is Andy ), although the Daily Mail may be working right now to establish where he was most likely conceived.

RJA · Hall of fame

Spectator wrote:
Just out of curiosity, how so? As I understand it, he was born in South Africa and moved here when he was three with his family, who came because of his father's job.

Not that it really matters but as I understand it Kyle's parents are both British but were living in South Africa at the time of Kyle's birth.

RJA · Hall of fame

Tomorrow's schedule is out. All Brits are in action but mostly at the end of the day

Andy is 4th match on Philippe Chatrier

Heather is 4th match on court 2

Aljaz is second match on court 5, Jo is 4th match on the same court.

Kyle is 4th match on court 7

wimdledont · Challenger level

Re nationality, I think a huge proportion of leading tennis players' parents are "international business class".

One of the coming issues for British tennis, if "tough love" continues, is that many of these kids can choose their nationality; and the LTA is offering very few incentives to choose to fly the Union Jack.

skibbarriz · Strong Club Player

People can claim such things don't makea difference but though reading this thread, I was pleased to learn that Kyle's parents are British. It changes how i think of him compared with if they were South African. I will feel on his side and pull for him a bit more than otherwise. There, that's a difference.

And as for someone like Brydan Klein, well i dont accept he is British one bit. He was tossed out of the Australian set up and rightly so. He is an Australian lad born and bred and if it wasn't for his racism, he's still be playing under their flag. Tennis Australia recruit Russian jnr no.1's by offering them financial aid and chuck out people like Klein. Whereas the LTA......

*shakes head*

So yeah, for me and many others there's more to it than whether it says British Tennis Player on their wikipedia entry. Which it does state for that Klein character.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

I agree Skib but i don't think it's right to brand someone for life for something they do as a 'stupid' teenager. It can't be something that Klein has to carry, albatross-like, round his neck for the rest of his life, it's just not fair. (Which has nothing to do with his 'british-ness', just the racism accusation).

NB Interesting watching Tsonga, against Ward's victor, the 'Swede' Lindell, who also it seems has barely been to Sweden but grew up, and is completely based in, in Rio de J.