Boys & Girls: 42nd City of Florence, Italy, clay - Grade 2 (Week 15)

DavidC · Tennis legend

Boys & Girls: 42nd City of Florence, Italy, clay - Grade 2 (Week 15)

DavidC · Tennis legend

Solid from Barnaby with the Dutch player making too many UEs to be competitive. Next up a home player who beat Emile and winner of a G3 earlier this year plus with a modest ATP ranking

Boys QF

(2) Barnaby Smith d. (8) len Schouten (NED) 6-0 6-3

SF

(6) Francesco Forti (ITA) v (2) Barnaby Smith

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

Coup Droit wrote:
I have no problem with the La Manga Easter training camp - some decent clay court practice is good.

My criticism - and that of some others - was the balance between players and staff.

It seems that every player gets to take their personal coach, as well as the general LTA junior coaches. So you're paying a lot of money for rather few players.

It's not the way other countries do it (well, the ones I know). And smacks rather of a 'jolly' for the adults.

I think it is also supposed to serve as a coaches training block as well - sharing best practice etc etc - as part of the drive to improve junior performance coaching in the UK

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Maybe. But you don't need to go to La Manga for that. That can be done any time so use the NTC for that.

wimdledont · Challenger level

So now the money is going on coaching the coaches?

But how are the coaches's coaches being coached?

Won't somebody write a funding proposal for the coaches's coaches's coaches to have an awayday in Honolulu? Otherwise, the LTA might have to run a single domestic 25k tournament, which would contribute little to the apparent strategic goal of getting more people coaching more tennis coaching more often.

If it carries on at this rate, there should emerge in time an extra UK tennis industry of "mutilation services" - sign up and get deliberately injured, and you can skip the thankless, near impossible task of playing pro tennis under the GB flag, skip a level or so in the Ponzi scheme, and get in early to the cushy coaches club class.

skibbarriz · Strong Club Player

Is the thinking that Emma is a cert for a WC into jnr Wimbledon?

tennischamp · Intermediate Club Player

Possible, based on recent performance..... It depends on how she does on the run up.

Last year wild cards were given to Fran, Gabi, Ali, Ema L, Maia and Georgina.

tennischamp · Intermediate Club Player

Last years wildcards into qualies as follows:
Eliz Maloney, Megan Davies, Nell Miller, Lauryn John Baptiste, Esther Adeshina

Lauryn was the only Brit to qualify.

indiana · Tennis legend

skibbarriz wrote:
Is the thinking that Emma is a cert for a WC into jnr Wimbledon?

I would certainly imagine so for a MD WC. Been playing pretty impressively, August 2000 born, currently 4th Brit in the junior rankings, not going to drop any junior ranking points before Wimbledon.

Edit: For some reason I decided this question related to Eliz Maloney - ie. someone not playing in this tournament or called Emma. Err, I imagine so for Emma too.

-- Edited by indiana on Sunday 16th of April 2017 04:31:35 AM

Oakland2002 · All-time great

You would definitely hope so. I would also like to see her play in the doubles with Holly although Nell more likely.

DavidC · Tennis legend

Barnaby in charge against the local seed, in front of a 3 figure crowd, up 6-2 3*-2 on the live stream, which has been moved over to court 3

DavidC · Tennis legend

...no longer in charge. First serve deserted him and the Italian wins the next 4 games, so it is into a decider

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Great to see such a crowd, and being so 'noisy' in the right way. I doubt Barnie is used to that.

tennischamp · Intermediate Club Player

5-5 on serve

tennischamp · Intermediate Club Player

6-5*