Weeks 3-4 - Australian Open, Women's Main Draw - Melbourne, Australia - Hard

ROSAMUND · Futures level

RE: Weeks 3-4 - Australian Open, Women's Main Draw - Melbourne, Australia - Hard

ROSAMUND · Futures level

the addict wrote:
Just to repeat a comment someone made a few days ago.
There are no Brits in the women's doubles this year. The draw is out, and Strykova/Hsieh are top seeds with Babos/Mladenovic at #2

There are 128 ladies in the main draw doubles but how come GB cannot manage 1 representative? At least the mens doubles is in a far better state.

seagull · Hall of fame

I think womans doubles in the least of our concerns.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

seagull wrote:
I think womans doubles in the least of our concerns.

biggrin cry biggrin

ROSAMUND · Futures level

seagull wrote:
I think womans doubles in the least of our concerns.

The womens doubles doesn't matter of course until we get to the Fed Cup.. Remember v.Japan in 2018. Hope nobody will complain if we lose any crucial doubles.Doubles can be used as a source of practice. e.g. John McEnroe.

ROSAMUND · Futures level

seagull wrote:
I think womans doubles in the least of our concerns.

One would think that a website devouted to ladies tennis would not be as dismissive about ladies doubles.

seagull · Hall of fame

Well when was the last time we used a specialist doubles pairing in the Fed Cup? I'm not dismissive about it but its not my top priority. We need to get a lot more ladies higher up the singles ranking before we need to be concerned about doubles.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Surely doubles is a valid and worthwhile sport, in the Olympics a tennis doubles Gold medal is every bit as valuable as a singles gold medal and that includes mixed. Personally I am a big, big fan of doubles overall, although to be fair it is mens in general that I follow more frequently. So although the main concern should be singles, I agree, I also think doubles should be taken seriously and as we have a Olympics Gold medal event with no participation likely from the GB (ie womens doubles) I think this is something we probably should be concerned about.

ROSAMUND · Futures level

seagull wrote:
Well when was the last time we used a specialist doubles pairing in the Fed Cup? I'm not dismissive about it but its not my top priority. We need to get a lot more ladies higher up the singles ranking before we need to be concerned about doubles.

We used a specialist doubles team of Jocelyn Rae and Anna Smith in the 2015 Fed Cup and it's fair to say they bailed GB out. After Jo and Heather had lost the singles to Turkey they scored a vital win and also a vital win over Ukraine as well. I wasn't suggesting that we had an all GB ladies doubles pair in Australia but Heather and Harriet played doubles in the 2019 Aussie Open with T. Maria and Kontaveit respectively. Additionally Naiktha Bains playing as an Australian benefited from a wildcard. How to get ladies higher up the singles rankings (agree with you there)remains a problem for those in charge of British tennis.

seagull · Hall of fame

So 5 years ago then.

seagull · Hall of fame

JonH comes home wrote:
Surely doubles is a valid and worthwhile sport, in the Olympics a tennis doubles Gold medal is every bit as valuable as a singles gold medal and that includes mixed. Personally I am a big, big fan of doubles overall, although to be fair it is mens in general that I follow more frequently. So although the main concern should be singles, I agree, I also think doubles should be taken seriously and as we have a Olympics Gold medal event with no participation likely from the GB (ie womens doubles) I think this is something we probably should be concerned about.

Tennis is a sport - not doubles. Don't get me started on tennis in Olympics!!

ROSAMUND · Futures level

JonH comes home wrote:
Surely doubles is a valid and worthwhile sport, in the Olympics a tennis doubles Gold medal is every bit as valuable as a singles gold medal and that includes mixed. Personally I am a big, big fan of doubles overall, although to be fair it is mens in general that I follow more frequently. So although the main concern should be singles, I agree, I also think doubles should be taken seriously and as we have a Olympics Gold medal event with no participation likely from the GB (ie womens doubles) I think this is something we probably should be concerned about.

The doubles have been a source of success at the Olympics. Back in 1996 Tim Henman and Neil Broad won a surprise silver medal. In 2012 Andy Murray and Laura Robson won a silver medal in the mixed. We've got medals we might not have expected.

ROSAMUND · Futures level

seagull wrote:
JonH comes home wrote:
Surely doubles is a valid and worthwhile sport, in the Olympics a tennis doubles Gold medal is every bit as valuable as a singles gold medal and that includes mixed. Personally I am a big, big fan of doubles overall, although to be fair it is mens in general that I follow more frequently. So although the main concern should be singles, I agree, I also think doubles should be taken seriously and as we have a Olympics Gold medal event with no participation likely from the GB (ie womens doubles) I think this is something we probably should be concerned about.
Tennis is a sport - not doubles. Don't get me started on tennis in Olympics!!

Obviously Johanna Konta regards playing in the Olympics as a priority over the Fed Cup. In interviews she has said that participating in the Rio Olympics is one of her greatest experiences in tennis.

indiana · Tennis legend

If you'ed left mixed out there, Jon, OK, but you're now going to get me started again on mixed doubles in the Olympics.

If the Slams want to have it, fair enough, it can be quite entertaining, indeed fine play at times, but clearly isn't taken as seriously by most players as the other events and has a fraction of the prize money.

But for the tennis authorities to request it for the Olympics and the Olympics movement to accept it is a nonsense. Pretty last minute pairings of these already going, quite likely never played together before, and if so clearly rarely, MTBs and (I think) no ads, and no doubt with the old convention of don't hit it too hard at the woman.

seagull · Hall of fame

Good for her.