Week 23 - ITF (W100) - Surbiton, Great Britain - Grass

Michael D · All-time great

RE: Week 23 - ITF (W100) - Surbiton, Great Britain - Grass

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Any home competition draws, where only one GB player is qualified as of right, in either the main draw or qualifying, is a disaster.

Heather is the only person.

The others will all be wildcards, either into MD or qualis.

It's ridiculous.

The LTA's decision to upgrade this to a 100k (along with all the others, and without filling any of the gaps by offering an alternative lower prize money event) is killing our tennis players. Although giving very nice grass practice and prize cheques to everyone else's tennis players.

Michael D · All-time great

Coup Droit wrote:
Any home competition draws, where only one GB player is qualified as of right, in either the main draw or qualifying, is a disaster.

Heather is the only person.

The others will all be wildcards, either into MD or qualis.

It's ridiculous.

The LTA's decision to upgrade this to a 100k (along with all the others, and without filling any of the gaps by offering an alternative lower prize money event) is killing our tennis players. Although giving very nice grass practice and prize cheques to everyone else's tennis players.

Yes, the list of GB players on the alt list with nowhere to go is dispiriting. And for most of those who do have entry here, it's the wrong level. The LTA's planning most of the time looks like it takes place in a world of virtual reality.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

No, I think the LTA planning is simply to look prestigious and top end. It's an image thing, for sponsors, for whatever.
It has nothing to do with supporting players.
I feel that the LTA has its chosen players (the 13 or so) which it heavily funds anyway, as per its 2018 report, and so they're taken care of.
And it honestly does not care about the others because it has decided that they won't be top 50 players and so they aren't interested.

-- Edited by Coup Droit on Monday 3rd of June 2019 07:38:49 AM

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

The loss of the 4 younger players has been a blow, particularly Katie B and Harriet, but it would still be tricky to go on runs when you see the field. Not only is it full of top 100 players, it is full of competent grass players:

AVU - beat defending champ en route to Wimb last 16
Rybarikova - won a few of these, recent Wimb SF
Maria - won grass WTA last year
Riske - defending champ and renowned grass player
Rodina - beat Keys en route to Wimb last 16, won one of these recently

And that's just the seeds, also the likes of Ilkley champ Smitkova, recent Dutch WTA grass intl runner up Vikhylantseva and Diyas who has had success at both these and Wimb. I just assumed there would be far more withdrawals. At least Manchester is a bit weaker.

Not sure what the solution is. Maybe go back to W60 type level or at least put on an additional grass W25 to run alongside it, but it's not ideal. I guess seeing a couple of GB vs GB in the main draw would this time be good.

FWIW, Emily, Vic and Eden are all 9/2 to win, Naomi 13/8 and it looks like we can stream Emily's match.

-- Edited by Ace Ventura on Monday 3rd of June 2019 08:08:17 AM

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

The solution most certainly would be to have a less rich event.

I don't see why it's not ideal.

It seems to me ideal.

it means our top players would get an easier run and so have more matches and more grass court practice pre-Wimbledon

And our mid players would have a chance to stake their claim to a Wimbly quali spot or whatever

And there would be chance for the juniors to shine. Or an outside lower ranked player.

Given the fact we have some WTA and top events, I don't see any advantage at all to making these events so rich.

-- Edited by Coup Droit on Monday 3rd of June 2019 08:11:10 AM

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

Coup Droit wrote:
The solution most certainly would be to have a less rich event.

I don't see why it's not ideal.

It seems to me ideal.

it means our top players would get an easier run and so have more matches and more grass court practice pre-Wimbledon

And our mid players would have a chance to stake their claim to a Wimbly quali spot or whatever

And there would be chance for the juniors to shine. Or an outside lower ranked player.

Given the fact we have some WTA and top events, I don't see any advantage at all to making these events so rich.

-- Edited by Coup Droit on Monday 3rd of June 2019 08:11:10 AM

Probably didn't come across clear, but I was just meaning the current situation is not ideal not any potential solution.

the addict · Tennis legend

Most of this has already been said, but FWIW I'll add my pennyworth

Making these W100 events has just attracted a lot of top 100 players - good practice and decent money - to the exclusion of the Brits. Even if they were downgraded to W60, there would still be strong fields. So I would prefer to keep them as W100's.

And of course there are Nottingham, Birmingham and Eastbourne for the top players.

So the solution surely is to run some smaller events at the same time - there must be other venues around the country that have adequate grass courts to run a W25 (North Oxford for example used 8 courts for last week's British Tour event). I also hope that, given the upcoming changes to the ranking system, that W15's aren't gone for ever.

PaulM · Tennis legend

I miss Frinton and Felixstowe

indiana · Tennis legend

To far too many of the GB players, welcome to the GB grass season, but you are not allowed in.

Give them events for pity sake and not just in the grass season. I read in another section about the Italian Federation having been increasing their number of lower level events and more Italan players coming through. Who'd have guessed.

Yet Scott Lloyd was quoted as saying it was better use of funds to fund overseas trips for players Arguably mate, for the funded. Unarguably, not so for all the rest.

So for starters what is stopping the LTA doing as CD suggests and putting on a few lower level grass tournaments in addition to the big level Wimbledon prep ones? And don't give me poverty.

the addict · Tennis legend

PaulM wrote:
I miss Frinton and Felixstowe

Nice locations, but the facilities and courts aren't now really up to anything more than W15's in my opinion. Three years ago Felixstowe had 4 good grass courts and four bumpy ones in play - Frinton is better. Although they both have sufficient hard court.

I've been to both several times in the last few years for British Tour and County Cup events. I'm probably going to go down to both next month for the British Tour events as they are quite close to me.

indiana · Tennis legend

the addict wrote:
PaulM wrote:
I miss Frinton and Felixstowe
Nice locations, but the facilities and courts aren't now really up to anything more than W15's in my opinion. Three years ago Felixstowe had 4 good grass courts and four bumpy ones in play - Frinton is better. Although they both have sufficient hard court.

I've been to both several times in the last few years for British Tour and County Cup events. I'm probably going to go down to both next month for the British Tour events as they are quite close to me.

A W15 or two would be great. Add one or two W25s and for many we would then have a much more inclusive grass season constituting rather more than the Wimbledon Q WC play-offs.

-- Edited by indiana on Monday 3rd of June 2019 09:30:52 AM

PaulM · Tennis legend

Stream seems to be flipping around. I was watching Loeb for a bit (court looks knackered already) but back with Emily A now (court looks in better shape) who's lost the set 6-1

-- Edited by PaulM on Monday 3rd of June 2019 10:35:52 AM

the addict · Tennis legend

Good fight from Eden, drops the first set 6-4, but just the one bad game.
Other two matches don't look as if they will last much longer though.

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

Emily doing a lot better in this set, she only won 13 points in the (1-6) first set, but is 4-3* in the second.