Boys & Girls: 2016 Australian Open, hard - Grade A (Week 4)

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

RE: Boys & Girls: 2016 Australian Open, hard - Grade A (Week 4)

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

And regarding exciting announcements, being asked to support your country's Fed Cup squad at age 16 is pretty exciting in my book! I must admit though that when I heard that statement I thought it was going to be about college tennis. There are rumours going around (no idea though how much substance to them) that her good friend Miss Bellis has committed to a university tennis scholarship and I thought Katie might have been following suit. We'll not know if the rumours are true about Miss Bellis for a couple of months when the unis are officially allowed to sign new players.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Too be frank she is done with juniors if she is to be an elite player.

The age of the junior CH is as important as the number. RG, Wimbledon perhaps US Open and the junior world championship perhaps. I think they got it a bout right with Kyle and girls are probably a year or two more advanced. Junior tennis is a means to an end.

Being part of the Fed cup team with a jubilant Jo Konta and practicing with what is becoming a strong group of senior players is hopefully how she is going to live out the next decade or so, what a perfect time to step up and acclimatize transition is about experiences and becoming comfortable with the setting and learning how to set up to be successful. She coped very well with junior Aussie open at 15 it's three days lost each end of the trip.

Time for new experiences and sterner tests.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Interestingly Bellis almost lives on the Stanford campus. Unless she is going for a degree, which is possible and they set up very flexible programmed for truely elite athletes (Michelle Wei didn't play much college golf) it will be a backward step for her tennis.

indiana · Tennis legend

Coup Droit wrote:
"and I cannot conceive of anything that she could possibly be doing with Jeremy Bates that would do her more good in the long run than spending this week playing high-pressure tennis matches, with tennis balls, on a tennis court, against her peers. If she's being told she's better off in the gym, I can only hope she's learning Spanish, so she can listen to some sensible advice."

You beat me to quoting from wimdledont's great post

I am not sure about any 'obligation' / quid pro quo or whatever for Katie to work with the Fed Cup team and LTA if it is arguably not in her best interests. And I do think competing in the Aussie Open juniors would have been better for her than whatever she has been doing this week. She could still have joined up for the 'experience' next week. I do think often such 'experience' is overvalued against competition. Katie will have plenty other experiences and be pretty ready for Fed Cup when the time comes without necessarily having been a bit part of it before.

-- Edited by indiana on Thursday 28th of January 2016 02:34:19 PM

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

I think being available for team events etc is part of the contractual side of accepting funding - it certainly used to be. I also think she has a moral obligation due to the amount of help she has had, but that's just my personal opinion.

indiana · Tennis legend

The Optimist wrote:
I think being available for team events etc is part of the contractual side of accepting funding - it certainly used to be. I also think she has a moral obligation due to the amount of help she has had, but that's just my personal opinion.

That's fair enough, but I would expect the LTA still to consider whether her being involved with the Fed Cup team at any time best suits her. Then if they call, fair dos

Now some would say it does best suit her anyway (and some doubt this ), and maybe she really wants to be part of it ( and to be fair that is the impression I get ). I would just hope that funding does not mean you are available for the team whatever, you are their pawn ...

-- Edited by indiana on Thursday 28th of January 2016 06:13:44 PM

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

I can't be sure how it is with the current administration, but that's exactly what the funding contract meant in the past!!!

wimdledont · Challenger level

Sure she should be available for the team; and she is. But the LTA doesn't own her. The LTA's role should be to be working for the greater good of Katie Swan (and all the other players), not vice versa. If you're not hitting tennis balls yourself, you're doing nowt for British tennis unless you're assisting someone who is.

There's a first for everything, but this is the first example I know of a player prioritising a role as the sub in the Fed Cup, over playing a Grand Slam as the number 1 seed. And the Fed Cup doesn't start for a week. Heather's current stated career goal is to make the second week of a Slam - is she expected to forego this, if she gets through to the last 16, and there's a Fed Cup tie coming up?

As for Katie playing RG, Wimbs, US, junior world champs - good; but why not try again at the tournament where she got her best previous result? Conditions seemed to suit her well at the AO last year.

Bellis was mentioned. Rather than JR1, she's now WTA231, the 28th ranked American. She did really well last year, so she got to play 31 senior matches last year. That's still not many. She's in danger of slipping back to around WR380 if she can't win a couple of 25ks in the next couple of months. As she's underage, she's limited to about one tournament per month. No girls' land.

Grandslam · Newbie

Having read the discussion about Katie not playing Aus Open Juniors, I thought you would find it valuable to have some inside information. Firstly, this was a well thought out decision by Katies team. She was in need of rest in December and then a focused 4-5 week training block. January was the ideal time to achieve this, albeit unfortunately clashing with the Australian Open Juniors. Katie would have loved to have competed again but also recognised the need to work on her fitness and her game to aid her long term development. She has spent the last 4 weeks working extremely hard with the support of her coach Julien Picot (Jo Kontas former coach) and Conor, a fantastic fitness coach from the NTC. Jeremy Bates has not been there until this week, as he was in Australia, but has been nothing but supportive, proactive and committed to Katie as has everyone at the LTA.

The invitation for Katie to join the Fed Cup Team was completely separate to the decision for Katie to focus on a training block. It is a fantastic experience for Katie. Of course she wont play but she will train with the GB team and Judy and she will get a valuable insight into what Fed Cup involves. There has at no time been any pressure from the LTA for Katie to go to Fed Cup, only an opportunity for a fantastic experience which she was delighted to accept.

Katie will continue to play a mixture of pro and junior tournaments during 2016, all of which will be invaluable experience for her. Much thought and consideration goes into the planning of her schedule by her team to ensure the best possible development opportunities for Katie at this stage in her tennis career and, of course, bearing in mind that she is still only 16. Katie is also still in school and so has to prioritise this in line with tennis too.

If Katie had gone to the Australian Open Juniors and not done as well as last year, she would have been heavily criticised. By not going, she is also been criticised. The continual view is that the focus is Katies long term development and transition into the professional game. She will play 10ks but she will also have the opportunity to play $25ks and $50ks during the coming months as well as junior events, which will continue to be an important part of her schedule for 2016.

I hope this is helpful.

indiana · Tennis legend

Very helpful, Grand Slam, and does answer some of my own doubts.

Just however she and her team need to make sure they are not swayed by criticism or potential criticism*. You had earlier set out the basis of the decisions, so I would hope in actual fact that any thought of her being criticised if she lost early in Oz was not really a factor just as any criticism for missing Oz should not be a factor if she has well founded reasons ( i.e. that you are merely making an observation ). Folk have wondered, and debated to some extent, you have shed light, thank you

* - Often with the LTA in the past there has been a sense of too much PR decision making, doing indeed what risks least criticism even if say that occasionally hung folk out to dry. Not for me a way to operate.

-- Edited by indiana on Thursday 28th of January 2016 09:04:19 PM

wimdledont · Challenger level

Yes, thank you, Grand Slam, that is very helpful. Though I persist in my belief that Katie will best improve as a tennis player by playing a lot of tennis. More fun too, for her and all of us.

paulisi · Tennis legend

Many thanks for the insight. It's very helpful to understand decisions, plans and goals.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Remarkable Katie appears to be surrounded by sensible people plaining a sensible transition into senior tennis.

Completely with the view that there is little benefit in playing the Aussie open juniors and loosing. Why set yourself up for a fall when there are other things to be getting on with, like optimizing fitness and homework.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

I haven't really got involved here (apart from an appreciation of wimbeldont's classic, pithy post) as I honestly don't have any view as to whether Katie should have gone to Oz or not.

But it is very good to get new posts, especially informative ones with 'inside' information.

Many thanks.

As Indy said, it is hoped that the 'criticisms' comment is just a hypothetical, throw-away one - (criticised? by whom? do you care? and, if so, why?)

I also would reiterate Jamie Baker/Leon Smith's comment - that there is a good reason that the Davis Cup (Fed Cup) captaincy is not linked to the LTA funding programme i.e. unless you are Judy Murray, how can you say that 'of course' she won't play?

But of course it is great to hear of the LTA's commitment to Katie. We wish her every success.

We hope that they/you also have a similar commitment to all other promising players - and indeed some not so so promising ones. One Andy Murray has not been of great benefit to the LTA, and nor would one Katie Swan.