Hi Jon.  Yes I have been based in Dubai for 15 years.  I am planning to go to watch WTA and start of ATP (travelling 1st March) in Dubai. Womens field looks strong but Men's draw not like the old days when most of the top 10 were present. My coach tells me they have kept a WC open for Federer but not confirmed. 

Won't make Doha as work commitmment.  It is possible to get there but need to travel via Oman (or elsewehere).

Great news re the rankings. Gives us a good chance of progressing. 

GB would have to be strong favorites against Canada, Paraguay or Japan and even Latvia at home could be close.

However knowing our luck it will be away against a full strength Latvia

wimdledont wrote:

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Okay, controversy time...

When the LTA released their report into gender pay gaps, they ascribed some of the discrepancy to performance bonuses paid to senior staff because of the Davis Cup win...

www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-5359677/LTA-reveals-huge-gender-pay-gap.html

"The accompanying report attributes the gaps to men occupying most of the senior management roles at the top of the salary scale and bonuses related to winning the Davis Cup in 2016. "

So the players here are volunteers, with the LTA staff and management earning huge bonuses if they are successful. Success in this tournament will result in further LTA resources going into the pockets of senior management, and presumably, further cuts in the number of UK ITFs, and prizemonies available (though there's now very little left to cut).

So for the majority of the players who regularly feature here, say from GB4 Boulter on down, any further success in this competition is a hindrance to their future careers, in as much as it will further reduce the resources allocated to UK ITFs, and further enrich LTA senior management instead.

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Gee, quite how much bonuses did who get for contributing what to the Davis Cup success, apart from providing just about the biggest "support staff" ( again no doubt costly ) in international team tennis? 

JonH wrote:

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HowardDubai wrote:

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So Canada, Paraguay, Japan or Latvia. Hope we avoid a full strength Latvia.

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 How strange, HowardDubai, I have literally just come off the phone from a client who is in  Dubai. Small world! I would rather be out  there than here! 

 

Are you based there and  are you able to see the tennis that is being held in Dubai next week (or Qatar this week, although not sure on travel restrictions between the two places at the moment, are they still in place?) 

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Even more coincidentally, I was on the phone to a friend who's in Dubai at about the same time, though she's not there for any tennis (what a waste, huh!)