A131 wrote:

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Rich wrote:

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Feel for James. Really wanted to see him win this match and maybe go deeper. How long will he stay top 100 else. Yes he has worked hard to reach this position and full credit to him. But gut wrenching if you are only there a couple of weeks maybe. He has so many points to defend over the next few months. This week was surely a week that he badly needed to do well when you look at the draw as not every week will be like that on the main tour. A missed opportunity and maybe a costly one. Really hope he can get something going to stay top 100 even if only #99.

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JW is not my favourite player as I have said before so whether he worked hard to reach his current position is a bit debatable in my opinion. He had a huge stroke of luck at Wimbledon as many have acknowledged (a fully fit David Ferrer would probably have taken him out in the first round) and prior to that he had won only one match on the main tour all year (Antonio Veic, ranked 228, in Zagreb back in February). Lucky to be in the top 150 let alone top 100. Not denying he has ability but then again so do a lot of other players.

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Whether or not he's your favourite player, he has earned the points to get there. He was fortunate at Wimbledon but still had to take advantage of that round 1 draw, and beat a player much higher ranked than he is in R2. Perhaps more importantly the very fact that he was ranked just outside top 100 before Wimbledon off the back of his poor run of form before then AND the fact he has so many points coming off in the next month is a result of hard work and good performances last year. Your ranking is your ranking on merit. He's been on a bad run this year (a long bad run, granted) but he is where he is on merit, and he'll be where he is when the points come off on merit equally. 

Edit - James is 139 in the current live Race rankings as well so, again, don't see how he can really be considered 'lucky to be in the top 150' - of course, you are fully entitled to your own opinion on this!

Oakland2002 wrote:

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As we have seen with James slow progress hovering around 100 for sometime. The 80-130 group is pretty tight interms of the difference in quality of players particularly those in their late 20s and 30s where their ranking truly reflects their ability, not many young guns passing through although there is a clutch just under a hundred.

These guys have spent theor early 20s getting there, they may perhaps, like Berrer, have a few years on the cusp of the top 50 but generally will make a fantastic living for a decade playing in the first couple of rounds of GS and are working very hard to stay there. Berrer is a pretty heavy set muscular fellow who looks like he grafts to stay in shape. 100 is just a number and James is going to have to strive hard to tread water.  

Although It is early days I feel James may unlike Kyle  need a new number, the constant pressure to make the top 100 drove him there that said we also must not underestimate the consistency of level of performance in this group. In terms of difference in quality of life achieved by regularly dining at the GS MD table it is beans and camper vans to caviar and five star ( great name for a band i think!) hotels. Once you've tasted it there is very high motivation to stay there.

-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Thursday 23rd of July 2015 05:24:36 AM

-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Thursday 23rd of July 2015 05:28:09 AM

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As I saw it, the constant pressure to be top 100, largely put on by James himself ( who certainly didn't see 100 as just a number ) largely drove him for so long to not making the top 100. I just do not see that it helped his performance level at all.

Of course he did well, most particularly over the second half of last year, to achieve the results and a new level of consistency ( unfortunately lost this year ) to get himself into the position of being just outside the top 100.  You can't get there with a year's ranking points without very largely desrving it.

But he has not followed this up well this year, and having largely failed to take advantage of the huge window he had to advance into the top 100 he struck very lucky at Wimbledon to help him over the line ( yes, he still had to win but it was not overtaxing, whereas he would of in all probability lost to a fit Ferrer with the top 100 window then largely closing post Wimbledon ).

The hope must be that having made the top 100 frees him up more to help reproduce last year's form. I am not sure that he needs to set new goals as such since as I indicated I would say that the top 100 goal actually became unhelpful to his tennis. The goal should perhaps be to consistently play at or near his best level and the rest will then more take care of itself 

scottie1 wrote:

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bigboyjumbo wrote:

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i agree with you A131 i think most of the wildcards at wimbledon if not all of them would have got through his round 1 draw and at least half in his second. I never watch his and feel comfortable and could literally miss any shot. However i will always support him being british and want him to do well.

I also agree the the other comment if thats possible that he has earnt enough points to be there! even if it is only a short stay. I think i commented earlier that he should inspire many of the guys rank to 300 that they could get so much higher!

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Sorry disagree with you re Ward beating Vesely in R2  that was a really good win and Vesely would have beaten your average WC, problem with James is that he is streaky and lacks consistency however I never envisaged him as Top 100 but he has worked hard for it!  I can see Evans Edmund and perhaps Klein getting into top 100 but doubt if Smethurst Corrie Willis Cox will break through 

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Vesely did not play well on the day, certainly nowhere close to his ranking, and I'd say froze a bit ( maybe through playing the home player ), although yes how many WCs would have beaten him is very debateable ( probably some on the performance he gave, but that was a particular match ).

Credit James that he took advantage. He lucked in rather at Wimbledon, but too often opportunity can pop up and players not take advantage 

My apologies, Indy, I was going on the live race list on live-tennis.eu/race which is clearly incorrect, although I'm not sure where or why!

So my bad on that one, but still inside the Top 150 on both Race and Ranking positions, and both on merit. I agree 100% that James needs to get back to playing much more consistently. Flash in the pan players who drift through the year and then go deep in a couple of big tournaments put a lot of pressure on themselves to repeat the feat when the points drop. Hopefully James can find the right balance between playing at a higher level and playing solidly in challengers etc. and build up again. I'm just glad that nobody can ever take away the fact that he made the Top 100, regardless of how brief his stay was (for now)