So here we are, the final 4 - lots of angst and emotion no doubt and lots of debate but ultimately these are the 4 players people voted for to get to the final for this Boards British Player of the Season.
Votes will run through until Saturday evening - slightly longer as I am out in the day time! - and so we will look to close the votes on this final at 8pm Saturday evening. Please note!
Finalists are as below - listed alphabetically by surname. Enjoy everyone
Dan Evans
Feb PoM RU, 3 PoM nominations; SF ATP 500 Dubai, SF ATP 250 Antwerp, SF ATP 500 Vienna, 27 wins, 19 losses in singles (58.7%) Won Battle of Brits I, Doubles Won 5 lost 11
Alfie Hewett
Oct PoM RU; 3 nominations for PoM; Won French Open Singles 19 wins 4 losses in singles (82.61%). In doubles Won Australian, US and French Open with a 16-0 (100%) record over the season
Fran Jones
September and October PoM (only 2 time winner); RU Prague Challenger (beating Lisicki) 24 wins, 11 losses (68.57%)
Joe Salisbury
January PoM; Mens Doubles # 1; Won Australian Open, SF US Open, SF World Tour Finals Doubles: 25 wins 13 losses (65.79%)
-- Edited by JonH comes home on Friday 18th of December 2020 01:35:40 PM
Much as I usually like to get the first vote in so I can watch the votes unfold, I am going to take a little time on this one - I could actually vote any of 4 ways!
I have been voting for Joe all the way through. Started the year outside the Top 20. Spent most of the year inside the Top 10 maxing out at WR 3. Grand Slam winner and made it to the SF at the O2.
Not voted before? Well, vote now for your GB player of the season from the final shortlist of 4..
Jon's done brilliantly with all his voting ideas since the initial covid tennis lockdown and then with the work involved. This is THE vote for the year for this British forum and your forum wants your vote.
Not voted before? Well, vote now for your GB player of the season from the final shortlist of 4..
Jon's done brilliantly with all his voting ideas since the initial covid tennis lockdown and then with the work involved. This is THE vote for the year for this British forum and your forum wants your vote.
A tear in my eye, Indy!
Seriously, thanks for the note and yes, it would be great if we get a really good vote in the final, even if your favoured players have gone out, hopefully everyone will have the energy and support to vote for someone from this list, even if begrudgingly!!
I have actually voted for Alfie - he won multiple slams and took his game on a level whilst pushing forward the profile of his sport well and dealing with personal stress (around being unable to play due to rule changes) going forwards - he won singles and doubles slams and was unbeaten in doubles.
Remember my stats. Roughly 28 to 32 voters per group so far, 11 seems to be the high watermark for runners up, so 12 the apparent target to be the winner, tying in with 40 percent of the vote.
Lets see who gets to that level, suspect this will be much closer.
Jo 4 votes, Heather 1 vote, Emma 2 votes says it all on voter bias. Hopefully, JonH can find a solution for next time? Heather's single vote is the biggest embarrassment, having at one point risen 50 places in the rankings in 2020.
Actually, Jo never was my top choice, it's the other Joe. So at least I don't have to vote against her but Jo not being in the final is a bit... well anyway!
In a curtailed year he advanced his CH to 28 and is now WR 32. He consistently competed very well against top 20 ranked players, winnkng 8 and losing 7, if though 0-3 against top 10.
The lack of very big scalps and quite poor Slam losses took a little sheen off his year and made me consider the progress of Fran to her current CH 242 ranking and GB #5 with what she has had to overcome.
Great progress by Fran memorable years for our other 2 finalists here, particularly with their Slam success. Ultimately though Dan has done enough for me and his style of play only adds.
Jo 4 votes, Heather 1 vote, Emma 2 votes says it all on voter bias. Hopefully, JonH can find a solution for next time? Heather's single vote is the biggest embarrassment, having at one point risen 50 places in the rankings in 2020.
Actually, Jo never was my top choice, it's the other Joe. So at least I don't have to vote against her but Jo not being in the final is a bit... well anyway!
A nice spread of votes so far, anyone's game really but a slight lead for Joe S at this stage. Alfie bringing up the rear (BTW I see the LTA You Tube channel has a Battle of the Brits Wheelchair team event being shown, with Alfie and many others from the British game - not sure exactly when it was played but in case anyone is interested).
Jo 4 votes, Heather 1 vote, Emma 2 votes says it all on voter bias. Hopefully, JonH can find a solution for next time? Heather's single vote is the biggest embarrassment, having at one point risen 50 places in the rankings in 2020.
Actually, Jo never was my top choice, it's the other Joe. So at least I don't have to vote against her but Jo not being in the final is a bit... well anyway!
It really doesn't and is selective. The men's GB #2 Kyle got a whole one vote in R1 ( Fran got 23 and Anna Popescu got 4 in the same group ) and #3 Cam never did well enough in earlier votes to even make the end of season polling - and fair enough. One could argue Heather has had better years, well though she has stepped back up, so it has not been unseen previously.
As it happens the final has a men's singles player, a women's singles player and our undoubted best doubles and disabled players.
And on top of what Jon has said before with general figs, I took time to look back through each vote from R1 and to my mind there most certainly isn't "very obvious" gender bias, as you have previously said, and one could argue the toss this way and that re both some of rhe men and women whether there is any bias at all. And I've got better things to do.
And again it is not all about rankings and results but undoubtably a fair degree of subjectivity, but I'm just honestly not seeing any clear gender bias, and "very obvious' is just nonsense in my opinion.
Pity. Onward ...
-- Edited by indiana on Friday 18th of December 2020 03:55:41 PM