Week 14 - WTA International ($250K) - Monterrey, Mexico - Hard

Mervatron2 · Challenger qualifying

Week 14 - WTA International ($250K) - Monterrey, Mexico - Hard

Jaggy1876 · Grand Slam Champion

Oakland2002 wrote:
Quite a doubles player. Although there is little point in going there, results like this make me wish she would make herself available for the federations cup. She has put herself in a position to be a genuine touring professional player through her own hard work and I am sure the guys running the LTA when she was a teenager now have rigor mortis.

I admire her for sticking to her guns regarding the LTA. My dislike of the tennis governing bodies and the smug toffs that run it is well known and to be honest Fed Cup and Davis Cup isnt a priority for a Tennis player in my opinion anyway. Sometimes its a distraction for your own career and can interfere too much with schedule. So well done Naomi again, stay true to yourself and another finger salute to those you offered little support.

indiana · Tennis legend

I understand the general POV and the lack of any support, indeed the absolute opposite in being so penalised, at the time of the teenage social media incident.

But I think it's absolutely clear that support could and would have been forthcoming thereafter if accepted by the Broadys. Indeed one year due to mistaken assumptions / breakdown in any communications that there were she was initially on the AEGON funding list and was removed due to the effective "no thanks" from the Broadys.

Admire her yes, but let's not pretend that she would not have got support, and from relatively not that long after the 'incident', if she had been prepared to accept it.

Jaggy1876 · Grand Slam Champion

I dont see why she should accept it Indiana to be honest the whole thing was a disgrace and like I say Fed Cup is not for everyone. Too long has passed now best to concentrate on her singles career. I dont see Tennis as a team sport as you know.

indiana · Tennis legend

It's not really at all about the Fed Cup for me. Indeed of course personal schedules can be messed about with. Katie B's early season Australia one was and so now may be her planned series of Portugal 25Ks. Though to an extent that goes with the territory of accepting LTA support.

That to me is a relatively minor issue though. In the bigger picture that really matters what it is about is the many years Naomi clearly suffered from lack of support as she made very clear at times. And without saying she was right or wrong, I just say that ultimately much of that was due to her choice in making such a break from the LTA.

Whether she ultimately could have been a better / higher ranked player we will never know that hypothetical. It's clearly given her a drive but she has lost out on financial and coaching support and with a game that certainly looked to need more coaching support many years ago. It still does but time has much more ingrained various technical issues.

Peter too · Tennis legend

From a player's point of view one benefit from the Federation or Davis Cup competitions is that it increases their public and national profile. That higher profile may then lead to more sponsorship.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Naomi has had a very successful week on the doubles court, as to how that has been reported nationally unfortunately it probably hasnt even generated a column inch! That for me is a frustration, her career will soon be gone. I just feel that there continue to be opportunities to make even more of it.

Often the way forward is self reflection and compromise as opposed to a blood and thunder battle against the world. As a mature adult hopefully she now has the self awareness to access all the resources available to her over the next/last five years of her career.

the addict · Tennis legend

Maybe not a column inch, but both The Times and the BBC reported it with a photo and a couple of sentences.