Coup Droit wrote:

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TennisMom wrote:

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My question is how are they even training?
Tennis is banned in the U.K. & has been for weeks, (unless elite pro performers)
Are they going unprepared to these far flung places?

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 Tennis isn't banned, of course, if you have your own court. (Or people might be using a private court of someone else) 

And you're allowed to meet up every day for exercise with one person not in your household.

So I guess some might be training every day with a private coach at home/privately

Or some might well be coached by their dad/mum so, again, that would work

I realise we're getting pretty exclusive but that's tennis. I realise these would probably have to be all-weather courts, really, at this time of year but more and more people have those now. 

And, not pointing fingers because it's perfectly fine and commendable, but one of the girls travelling was Ellie Blackford whose mother lists her position as: 'Head of Project Finance, EMEA, Energy Sector, Energy Financial Services', so it's possible they have their own court.

And another is the Paskauskas family - as the whole family have been playing (Gabi, Kristina and Tom (who I assume is the brother?)), they can train together, presumably? And also I'm guessing there's a parent who is heavily involved (if all three are into tennis). Just a guess and you tennis parents would know better than me but quite likely, I'd have thought ... 

Also possible that, with home schooling and remote working, the whole family had decamped for a while to somewhere where tennis was still going on?  

-- Edited by Coup Droit on Thursday 18th of February 2021 09:07:46 AM

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 A few thoughts on the above...yes, if you have your own tennis court and parent is a coach or plays, or sibling is similar standard you can play. I understood you couldn't play on own court with someone outside your own family/bubble, which would rule out most coaches.

I agree many of those playing abroad at the moment are probably staying abroad and finding suitable countries and routes to do this. This must also be true for any older GB players not in Australia. I can see some players at all levels trying to improve standing by playing while others are sitting out the pandemic. For those travelling it must be costing a fortune, which will be an issue for most people, as ever. Tournaments seem a bit weaker in general but with a few stronger players, probably down to who can get  to them.

As seen on the recent womens threads eg Egypt, for example, there are some people playing who are certainly not pro players, in most peoples definition of the word, and I just dont think they should be travelling out of the uk for tennis in the past nearly two months of lockdown.

Another point is the unfair way that some players in uk, nagp players, can train. This based on opinions of lta coaches, their own self selected favourites yet again. As has been mentioned many times we need a large pyramid of players to push each other and allow for wastage. I think if say you select 10 girls at age 11 who are promising at tennis, you can imagine 1 or two may decide they prefer a team sport, several will give up because they want a more normal life, several may get injuries, which at the very least will reduce their effectiveness, some will grow in ways that change their game, and then there is the mental side which I am sure is hard to predict at age 11 or 12. Can see how 10 can reduce to virtually 0 after 5 years or so. Meanwhile others are striving more outside lta system and may come through, even after american uni, or after living most of childhood (at least) overseas. LTA will happily then pick the successful ones up, take as much credit as possible and sort out wild cards .....

Just seems if it isn't safe to play tennis in a tennis centre then let's have same rule for everyone no exceptions for small numbers of lta selected juniors (who are not professional players). (But labelled as 'elite').

Tennisdad_101 wrote:

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Yes you can use your own court but not with a person from outside your own household. So not with a coach. 

some  may have been travelling exclusively since pre  lockdown. Most are not. 

 

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 Yes, but be reasonable.

If I can meet up with my coach in a public park and do two hours of running and star jumps etc, side by side, (which I can), who on earth is going to complain if that coach comes round the side of my house and we play tennis, in private, at different ends of the court? More than that, how can it be more dangerous? 

I'm not saying whether it is technically within the rules, I'm just saying that when Boris talked about using your common sense, and the police issued the list of things that count as red flags for them, this is a really not a problem. 

Hephzibah from Stirling Academy is in the qualifiers today in the cat 2 in Lithuania. seems the only GB girl no other national academy players entered in either girls or boys