Week 23 - Challenger (€42,500) - Surbiton, GB (Grass)

indiana · Tennis legend

RE: Week 23 - Challenger (€42,500) - Surbiton, GB (Grass)

Mark1968 · Intermediate Club Player

I find some of the excuses for James Ward on here questionable to say the least. I believe his biggest problem is that he has earned approx' £50,000 this year for a series of poor performances. When his ranking starts to drop he will complain about playing Challengers at sub-standard venues as he has done in the past. He needs to remember he is no 'big shot' and just an average pro player.
A wild card for Wimbledon would be a dreadful decision because he has only ever won one match in the main draw of a Grand Slam event which is a poor record for a 28 year old, he has already had to many and the money he will earn for just turning up will finance him for another year and take away his incentive to perform. No player should ever have more than 3 wild cards.
As regards his scheduling, nobody forces him to play and why enter doubles this week if you are carrying an excuse, sorry injury?
The LTA are not obliged to hand out a stack of wild cards to our players and assuming Kyle has automatically qualified only Liam deserves one unless someone does very well over the next couple of weeks.
Not sure if Ed Corrie will get a WC he has not won a match since march and is deeply out of his depth at Challenger level so why bother with Wimbledon.
A reality check is needed folks.
Expect several retirements over the next couple of months.

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

Milts is currently 5-2* up on last weeks RU, Luke Saville.

Mark1968 · Intermediate Club Player

Milts broken, but breaks back to take the first set 6-4

RJA · Hall of fame

indiana wrote:
James seems to have his head all over the place in recent months, at least partly because of the top 100.

Seeming to be continuously playing ( as if seeking to get that job done asap when he really had a large window until after Wimbledon ) seems to have been counter productive.

Even this week, not withstanding his poor run of late, a place in the Surbiton final would have very possibly been enough for top 100. OK partly in hindsight, but surely a more ( normal ) relaxed targetted schedule was the way to go. He appears to have played his way out of form !

If he has been doing that at times with a niggle(s) ( and he apparenntly had one when he rushed off to the US straight after the Davis Cup tie ) that really would seem pretty foolish.

I am sorry for James and wish him all the best, but to me there seems to have been some very questionable decision making.

I agree with all of that and he is now left between a rock and a hard place. The next 3 weeks are big opportunities and he will understandably be desperate to play even if he is carrying an injury and then immediately after Wimbledon he has a big chunk of his points to defend (Bogota 32, Lexington 48, Vancouver 35, Cincinnati 70) so will be loathed to take a few weeks out. He is at the beginning of the most important 3 months of his season and is seemingly in nothing like the condition he should be, largely because of his own poor scheduling.

Jaffa · Challenger level

Why can't Milts play like this all of the time?!

Deservedly a set and a break up.

Jaffa · Challenger level

Oh no! He's been broken serving for it!!

daisy · County player

6-6 tie-break.

Milts serving first:
*1-0
1-1*
2-1* mini-break
*3-1
*3-2 Milts hit into the net, lost the mb.
4-2* Mini-break to Milton

Jaffa · Challenger level

Oh my god that was an UNBELIEVABLE passing shot at 3-2* by Milts!

daisy · County player

4-3* Good shot DTL from Milts but Savile bunted it back over the net.
*5-3
*6-3 and 3 match points for Milton.
7-3*

GSM Josh Milton 6'4, 7'6(3) v Luke Savile.

-- Edited by daisy on Wednesday 10th of June 2015 12:05:42 PM

Jan · Hall of fame

takes the TB

very well done!

RJA · Hall of fame

Superb win for Josh and will almost certainly see him reach a new career high, possibly as good as 302. Plays McGee in the QFs.

indiana · Tennis legend

Great stuff

Good time of the year to be in such form.

RJA · Hall of fame

Year to date ranking points

Broady - 69
Milton - 63

One of these players is considered almost certain to get a Wimbledon main draw wild card while the other isn't even mentioned.

Jaffa · Challenger level

Yes RJA, but a Wimbledon WC isn't just awarded on the back of 6 months worth of results