Regarding the trash talk, sledging etc, at least Andy apologised to Liam for the abuse he took all week, more than can be said for Liam and Dan.

I'm a big fan of Dan so was annoyed at Liam when he gave Dan the finger after beating Ryan, I mean, REALLY!!? I get that you were pumped after winning but there was no need for that type of thing!!

I've really gone off Liam (I wasn't a supporter beforehand by the way, mainly because of all the unwarranted Wimbledon wildcards) after that Tbh.

emmsie69 wrote:

---

Andy was the only one of the 3 that had a platform to publicly apologise, you don't know what was said between the players afterwards

---

Absolutely. 

I thought the team captains' comments (Annie, Leon etc) were really telling - when they said that it was SO good for the young players to have some real team pressure and atmosphere and mega competitiveness - as said, all team matches in europe are like that and much more (a point that one of them also made) - it's not bad natured, it's just intense and 'young'. 

As to the finger, well, Liam was laughing when he did it, he'd had Andy and Dan laughing at him the whole match, taking the mick out of him for how many forehands he missed - so if they rib him and wind him up and it's a really tight MTB and Liam manages (just) to keep his forehands in and nail it, and then laughingly flips them the finger, I think that's all part of the game, I would stake my house on the fact that Andy and Dan weren't 'offended' so I don't think we have to be.

To be honest, from what I saw, the commentators had to apologise more for Jodie's f*** words than any one else (and I have no problem with that either, she was just pent up, it wasn't at anyone in a nasty way).   

Tennis Saltire wrote:

---

Regarding the trash talk, sledging etc, at least Andy apologised to Liam for the abuse he took all week, more than can be said for Liam and Dan.

I'm a big fan of Dan so was annoyed at Liam when he gave Dan the finger after beating Ryan, I mean, REALLY!!? I get that you were pumped after winning but there was no need for that type of thing!!

I've really gone off Liam (I wasn't a supporter beforehand by the way, mainly because of all the unwarranted Wimbledon wildcards) after that Tbh.

---

 It is eminently possible to support your own team without denigrating the opposition. All three were a disgrace and ruined the event for me.

Tennis Saltire wrote:

---

Regarding the trash talk, sledging etc, at least Andy apologised to Liam for the abuse he took all week, more than can be said for Liam and Dan.

I'm a big fan of Dan so was annoyed at Liam when he gave Dan the finger after beating Ryan, I mean, REALLY!!? I get that you were pumped after winning but there was no need for that type of thing!!

I've really gone off Liam (I wasn't a supporter beforehand by the way, mainly because of all the unwarranted Wimbledon wildcards) after that Tbh.

---

Each of us here is free to like/dislike whomever we want and there will always be differing opinions, all of which are equally valid. So let me give you my take on Liam, as someone who likes and supports him.

As CD has so eloquently expressed, the "flipping of the bird" incident, in my opinion, was nothing more than a lighthearted response to some fairly heavy duty but equally lighthearted banter coming Liam's way during the match.  He was laughing as he did it and I have no doubt the Andy and Evo were laughing just as much and quite possibly "returning the favour" so to speak.  For me, the fact that these guys can rib each other to such a level and still walk away laughing and on good terms is a sign of the amazing bond that they all have between them - something that has been enhanced exponentially this week.  I wouldn't read any more into it than that.

As for the WC's, that is hardly Liam's fault.  How many financially struggling players with a ranking between 100-300 would turn it down if it was offered to them.  The system may be unfair, particularly on such players from countries that don't hold a slam, but that is a problem with the system, not Liam.

One of the reasons I like Liam is that he comes across to me as a wonderfully empathetic individual. He has been through some real adversities himself and he is regularly one of the first to recognise that in others and to try to help.  As Telstar pointed out, after his victory against Ryan P, and once (he thought) the cameras were off, he went and sat with Ryan for a good few minutes to talk him through the match and to help pick his spirits up.  This is a side of Liam that perhaps others don't see.

I listened to an excellent Soto Tennis podcast a couple of weeks back where Liam was interviewed as part of Mental Health Awareness week.  It is worth a listen.  You can find it here.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-38-mental-health-awareness-week-liam-broady/id1511047964?i=1000485030623

Perhaps after listening to it you might see Liam in a different light - or perhaps not.  As I said, this is all about opinion.

As a tennis player, is Liam ever going to win Wimbledon ?  Highly unlikely, and I am sure Liam would be the first to admit that.  But he has enough talent in my book to perhaps do a James Ward and have one really good year and make the Top 100 for a spell. That would be an amazing achievement.

 

But Jo was just one person. How do we know that Beth and Eden didn't like it?

As said, Jodie was right up there with some of the mouthiness, it wasn't just the men.

And I very much got the impression that players like Harriet and Emma really rose to the jibes and took delight in sparking off from them.

On the contrary, I actually took offense/felt rather sorry for some of the women in the women's matches where there were very few supporters and it was very 'flat'. You could hear the supporters on the adjacent court loudly sounding off, but they had hardly anyone.
In fact, Dan was quite good in that regard because he at least would turn up sometimes and give some support, even when a good men's match was going on next door, whereas I never saw Cam or Ryan or Kyle anywhere near when Maia was playing Alicia, say. (Maybe I missed them, if so apologies but....)

NB Thanks for the link, Bob. I'll listen to it tonight. Liam has been very open and frank about mental health issues - respect for the man and the good that he's doing in raising the visibility of the issue. PS I love the idea of 'doing a James Ward' - yes, there are quite a few of my favourites who are exactly that sort. Indeed, Joe Salisbury gave a great interview last year where he said his whole success had hinged on one tournament, where he got lucky, and - thanks to those points - that opened the way to something that wouldn't ever have been possible otherwise. You never know...

-- Edited by Coup Droit on Monday 3rd of August 2020 10:39:05 AM

Bob in Spain wrote:

---

Tennis Saltire wrote:

---

Regarding the trash talk, sledging etc, at least Andy apologised to Liam for the abuse he took all week, more than can be said for Liam and Dan.

I'm a big fan of Dan so was annoyed at Liam when he gave Dan the finger after beating Ryan, I mean, REALLY!!? I get that you were pumped after winning but there was no need for that type of thing!!

I've really gone off Liam (I wasn't a supporter beforehand by the way, mainly because of all the unwarranted Wimbledon wildcards) after that Tbh.

---

Each of us here is free to like/dislike whomever we want and there will always be differing opinions, all of which are equally valid. So let me give you my take on Liam, as someone who likes and supports him.

As CD has so eloquently expressed, the "flipping of the bird" incident, in my opinion, was nothing more than a lighthearted response to some fairly heavy duty but equally lighthearted banter coming Liam's way during the match.  He was laughing as he did it and I have no doubt the Andy and Evo were laughing just as much and quite possibly "returning the favour" so to speak.  For me, the fact that these guys can rib each other to such a level and still walk away laughing and on good terms is a sign of the amazing bond that they all have between them - something that has been enhanced exponentially this week.  I wouldn't read any more into it than that.

As for the WC's, that is hardly Liam's fault.  How many financially struggling players with a ranking between 100-300 would turn it down if it was offered to them.  The system may be unfair, particularly on such players from countries that don't hold a slam, but that is a problem with the system, not Liam.

One of the reasons I like Liam is that he comes across to me as a wonderfully empathetic individual. He has been through some real adversities himself and he is regularly one of the first to recognise that in others and to try to help.  As Telstar pointed out, after his victory against Ryan P, and once (he thought) the cameras were off, he went and sat with Ryan for a good few minutes to talk him through the match and to help pick his spirits up.  This is a side of Liam that perhaps others don't see.

I listened to an excellent Soto Tennis podcast a couple of weeks back where Liam was interviewed as part of Mental Health Awareness week.  It is worth a listen.  You can find it here.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-38-mental-health-awareness-week-liam-broady/id1511047964?i=1000485030623

Perhaps after listening to it you might see Liam in a different light - or perhaps not.  As I said, this is all about opinion.

As a tennis player, is Liam ever going to win Wimbledon ?  Highly unlikely, and I am sure Liam would be the first to admit that.  But he has enough talent in my book to perhaps do a James Ward and have one really good year and make the Top 100 for a spell. That would be an amazing achievement.

---

Also in defence of Liam, a snippet I quoted on the Bendigo Challenger thread at the start of the year:

From the end of an article by Stu Fraser in The Sunday Times:

Elsewhere in Australia, the bushfire crisis has had an impact on the schedule of Liam Broady. The British No 6, ranked 240 in the world, arrived in Canberra for a second-tier Challenger event this week, but it has now been moved 400 miles away to Bendigo because of the hazardous air quality.

"It's been pretty chaotic," Broady, 26, said. "Outside it absolutely reeked of smoke. The second you step off the plane it's all you can smell. It makes you feel a bit ill after a while. The players are glad to be out of here.

"I can't even imagine what a lot of Aussies are going through. It has cost me a lot of money [£600], but I'm very aware it's cost lives and many people's homes are gone. Some insurance companies won't pay up, so there will be lives ruined. It puts the money lost on the trip to Canberra in perspective."

A thoughtful young man.

It's clear that there are extremely different opinions on the off court happenings here, and it is very interesting to read and consider the different points of view.

I personally remain perfectly happy with how things proceeded and agree with many of the points made in that regard. If a few players found it a tough experience ( and I do think we are talking a few at most ), hopefully it will be a helpful experience moving on. Professional tennis beyond the UK confines is a tough life. Trying to cope here in an ultimately non threatening cimpetitive environment will do particularly younger players no harm and hopefully some good

And any player, say a bit older, that really had issues, well sorry these were your issues and shouldn't dictate the general atmosphere. And if say you then take yourself out of that environment, fair enough, I don't really criticise that either. Just a pity.

Re not taking to somone because they get awarded lots of WCs, really?! It wouldn't be unique but good luck in finding faurly cash strapped players that would say "no thank you", particularly to Wimbledon MD and Q WCs.