Week 40 - Nigeria F3 - Lagos ($25,000+H) (hard)

indiana · Tennis legend

Week 40 - Nigeria F3 - Lagos ($25,000+H) (hard)

Oakland2002 · All-time great

He did a cracking interview age 14 with John McEnroe worth a look. A lad who has always known what he wants, very similar to Andy in that as a tiddler he was whooping older boys nice picture of him playing as an equal with his brother (National schools team championship) for the local comp in Chobham, Reeds.

Really if following the off spring of relatively wealthy and indeed very wealthy parents play elite tennis upsets you the trauma of following British Tennis is probably not worth it. I would suggest you follow football or boxing.

Mervatron2 · Challenger qualifying

Another decent week for Jack.

Jaggy1876 · Grand Slam Champion

Priesty wrote:
You don't achieve what Jack has at the age he is without having a heck of a lot of talent regardless of whoever your father happens to be.

Sure he has achieved a lot....

Same players on a council estate....

Daddy has done well basically.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

And Tom Jomby, who beat Jack Draper in the semis, goes on to take the title. (Beating Rinderknech in the three, who was the guy who beat Joel Cannell in the first round). NB Both of them are US college guys.

-- Edited by Coup Droit on Saturday 6th of October 2018 03:22:08 PM

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Jaggy1876 wrote:
Priesty wrote:
You don't achieve what Jack has at the age he is without having a heck of a lot of talent regardless of whoever your father happens to be.
Sure he has achieved a lot....
Same players on a council estate....
Daddy has done well basically.

Its an easy comment to make and I have to be honest I had similar thoughts but it is s circle I am finding difficult to square.

You would think so but now I am not so sure and not on any of the estates I went to school on. The 4 best athletes all signed pro/semi pro football contracts, one made a proper living captaining a side in the championship, non had the confidence, single mindedness and focus that Jack appears to have at 16. He is exceptional regardless of his background, as mentioned by others the key probably being his mother being a tennis coach and directing his athletic talent in the direction of tennis, compounded by being the youngest in a family with tennis playing older siblings... Jay (father coach, brother and sister top players) and Andy are exactly the same

We had a PE teacher into tennis, paradoxically the mother of the best footballer, an annual school trip to Wimbledon, 4 tennis courts and tennis courts in the middle schools (8-12) 16 classes of 35 in each year, in mine apart from the footballers it produced a national ballroom dancing champion and one kid became a tennis coach (a decent athlete but he Couldnt get in the football team). Frankly other games are more popular, dont need intensive coaching and are easier to teach to large groups of kids. Generally if money is tight you have other priorities and football watching or playing an escape for most and the natural direction for any natural athlete seeking to make a living from Sport.

I dont think elite athletes on council estates are missing out they are playing footie, they wouldnt dream of playing tennis.

indiana · Tennis legend

Interesting, challenging and thought provoking, Oakland, thanks.

Maybe some children of relatively wealthy parents have been pushed towards tennis clubs when they could have been perfecting their football skills and even made a career in our most popular sport. I wonder what the average background of the recent England Wold Cup squad is.

Overall, while of course being from a well off background can give you a better off start in life compared to many, and certainly beyond sport, within sport, while pluses yes, everything is far from black and white and other factors come into play.

And ultimately the person by far most responsible for Jack Draper being such a precocious talent is Jack Draper.