Week 21 - Challenger (€42,500) - Vicenza, Italy (Clay)

RJA · Hall of fame

RE: Week 21 - Challenger (€42,500) - Vicenza, Italy (Clay)

emma · Strong Club Player

James has played amazingly well for GB in Davis Cup matches where he has shown his talent, passion, agility, perseverance and determination. He is a joy to watch when his game is in full flow and I would dearly love for him to find that kind of form for himself.

simply, I always want the best for people.

indiana · Tennis legend

I would love James to get into the top 100, and if he'd found anything close to his relatively new found consistency of last year during the last few months, it wiuld be a dawdle, such was his comparatively few points to defend ( and still none till after Wimbledon )

But he doesn't "deserve" it.

Some of us questioned why he was here in the first place, between the French Open qualifying and an extended busy grass court season, though one could guess at some very short term thinking. Playing like that just leaves more questions.

James has shown the ability that he has and great that he has done so in the Davis Cup. But his mind appears to be mush just now to the extent that if he"s not receiving professional help towards clearer thinking maybe he should seek it.

paulisi · Tennis legend

I suspect James has overplayed this year and is suffering on the back of this.

Mark1968 · Intermediate Club Player

James has NOT been overplayed this year, he has gone out in the first or second round of virtually every tournament but has still earned decent money in the process. It seems he can only perform (Davis Cup) when Leon Smith is there to hold his hand between games. I am becoming increasingly frustrated with the mediocrity in British men's tennis ( not Kyle and Liam) and the pathetic excuses many of you make on here just help perpetuate the misconception that our men are better than they are.
The grass court season will be huge for several of our guys. Expect several retirements in the next few months.

RJA · Hall of fame

Mark1968 wrote:
James has NOT been overplayed this year, he has gone out in the first or second round of virtually every tournament but has still earned decent money in the process. It seems he can only perform (Davis Cup) when Leon Smith is there to hold his hand between games. I am becoming increasingly frustrated with the mediocrity in British men's tennis ( not Kyle and Liam) and the pathetic excuses many of you make on here just help perpetuate the misconception that our men are better than they are.
The grass court season will be huge for several of our guys. Expect several retirements in the next few months.

While I agree with much of your sentiment I must point out that overplaying is not just about the number of matches you play. Just because a player loses first round all the time they are still travelling each week and practising on a near daily basis. At the moment James looks like someone who needs to spend two weeks on a beach and to forget about tennis completely. As it is he is approaching the most important 3 months of his year, the grass court season followed by the US hard court swing where he defends a big chunk of his points. Not to have got some rest during the clay court season (his worse part of the year) strikes me as incredibly poor scheduling.

-- Edited by RJA on Tuesday 26th of May 2015 10:01:29 AM

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

RJA wrote:
At the moment James looks like someone who needs to spend two weeks on a beech

James needs to spend two weeks up a tree?

Typos can be such fun!

RJA · Hall of fame

Madeline wrote:
RJA wrote:
At the moment James looks like someone who needs to spend two weeks on a beech
James needs to spend two weeks up a tree?
Typos can be such fun!

bleh

Mark1968 · Intermediate Club Player

RJA, that's a fair point. A complete break for a week or two might see him come back fresher.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Not reported yet, as far as I can see. Sean & Darren giving it another go:

R1: (WC) Salvatore Caruso & Federico Gaio (ITA/ITA) CR 1582 (806+776) vs Sean Thornley & Darren Walsh CR 338 (179+159)

A131 · Intermediate Club Player

Mark1968 wrote:
James has NOT been overplayed this year, he has gone out in the first or second round of virtually every tournament but has still earned decent money in the process. It seems he can only perform (Davis Cup) when Leon Smith is there to hold his hand between games. I am becoming increasingly frustrated with the mediocrity in British men's tennis ( not Kyle and Liam) and the pathetic excuses many of you make on here just help perpetuate the misconception that our men are better than they are.
The grass court season will be huge for several of our guys. Expect several retirements in the next few months.

I'm wondering whether JW should sack his coach. I'd never heard of him before he hooked up with Ward not have I heard of any success he has had with other players. Or are JW and Darren Tandy just not very good at their jobs?

savva0122 · Intermediate Club Player

James's problems for me are largely psychological. If he can find someone to sort out his mental blocks I think he could do so much better. And his choice of tournaments haven't been great. Looking forward, he's played FO qualies, the challenger this week, two grass court challys, QUeen's and Nottingham, then Wimbledon - that's not great

indiana · Tennis legend

A131 wrote:
Mark1968 wrote:
James has NOT been overplayed this year, he has gone out in the first or second round of virtually every tournament but has still earned decent money in the process. It seems he can only perform (Davis Cup) when Leon Smith is there to hold his hand between games. I am becoming increasingly frustrated with the mediocrity in British men's tennis ( not Kyle and Liam) and the pathetic excuses many of you make on here just help perpetuate the misconception that our men are better than they are.
The grass court season will be huge for several of our guys. Expect several retirements in the next few months.
I'm wondering whether JW should sack his coach. I'd never heard of him before he hooked up with Ward not have I heard of any success he has had with other players. Or are JW and Darren Tandy just not very good at their jobs?

James was pretty good at his job in the second half of last year, finding a consistency that many of us had wished him to have for a long time, and rising up the rankings to the fringes of the top 100.

I'm not sure what his coaching arrangements were through most of that period. This year seems to me more about him, although he could probably, as I have said, do with mind help. It's very frustrating. Just play tennis, mate, to the standard you are capable of !!!

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

R1: (WC) Salvatore Caruso & Federico Gaio (ITA/ITA) CR 1582 (806+776) defeated Sean Thornley & Darren Walsh CR 338 (179+159) by 2 & 0 bleh

TMH · Futures qualifying

Of course with all these defeats he's probably pretty low on confidence right now as well. I think he just needs to forget about ranking, and get back to enjoying it again and just playing his game. Easier said than done, unfortunately.