2023 BJK Cup Qualifiers - GB v France, Coventry - 14-15 April

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

RE: 2023 BJK Cup Qualifiers - GB v France, Coventry - 14-15 April

the addict · Tennis legend

If I hadn't read the comments on here I wouldn't have even noticed the comment as a dig. As it was I was listening carefully just to see what she might say. It would have been lost on many people.

foobarbaz · Strong Club Player

Steve J wrote:
Coup Droit wrote:
Anne, as you say, should grow up a little. Taking everything very personally, and making snippy comments, is hardly what's called for.
The team captain's first priority should be to get the top players to turn out. If she can't do that on a regular basis, she should be replaced.

I disagree with that Steve J, the teams captain's job is to get the most out the players selected for the tie. To that end, Anne is doing a great job, and the GB team continues to punch above it's weight. Team selection is not completely under Anne's control, because it depends on availability.

Player availability in turn depends on a lot of factors, not just player fitness. It's clear that the younger players have been allowed to focus on the tour(s) where they will hopefully establish themselves in the top 100 over the next couple of years.

With a small pool of top flight players to choose from we just have to be realistic. The GB team should be proud of their efforts this weekend, they gave the crowds a lot of enjoyment, and they gave their all for the cause.

Julia Carrot · All-time great

the addict wrote:
If I hadn't read the comments on here I wouldn't have even noticed the comment as a dig. As it was I was listening carefully just to see what she might say. It would have been lost on many people.

Indeed, and it probably wasn't even a conscious dig, just Anne feeling aggrieved that she was hampered from fielding 'the best'. She did however, get the 'the best' out of the team she had - better than most of us expected for sure and for that she has to be congratulated.

HarryGem · Club Coach

indiana wrote:
HarryGem wrote:

[...]
I do think Emma and her team need to be a bit careful though as she is an easy target for as long as her tennis is inn the doldrums.There's nothing the UK press like more than to build someone up only to knock them down again.
As to whether Emma's presence would have made a difference to the result, I don't think it would have. She's ranked around 70 for a reason because at this time in her career that's the kind of level she's at.

Ranked around 70 eh, and actually I would argue not where her tennis has generally been at when she has been able to put any sort of matches together. Indisputably she has had quite a bit of bad luck.
So "her tennis is in the doldrums" ??!! That's the kind of phraseology that might go down well with the sort of readership you talked anout earlier in your post and helps create an often misleading Emma narrative.

I don't disagree and you summarise perfectly why she is currently in the Doldrums. Mainly because she can't stay healthy or fit for any decent length of time to string together any sort of results or form. I'm not having a go at her but until she can stay healthy and fit she's going to struggle to move upwards. With 200 points to defend at Stuttgart and Madrid (combined) she could with a couple of bad results or if she can't compete due to fitness fall outside the top 100.

She's basically taking one step forward and the next week one step back. She is obviously very talented but right now she's an easy target for those less au fait with the tennis world who only tune into to the mass media messages.

Lets' hope she does well this coming week. It is possible but as likely is a first or second round exit or even a withdrawal.

Peter too · Tennis legend

She will need a good draw at Stuttgart and that is unlikely as most of the top players have entered, with 8 of the top 10 and 16 of the top 20 last time I heard.

-- Edited by Peter too on Saturday 15th of April 2023 08:47:31 PM

christ · Futures qualifying

I would argue that the team was actually the best that could be fielded.

... and they were a couple of tie breaks from a considerable upset.

I'm not sure that a different team would have done any better.

HarryGem · Club Coach

Coup Droit wrote:
Julia Carrot wrote:
Anne even appeared to make dig at the end, in her speech, when congratulating France she said ' they fielded their best team".........

-- Edited by Julia Carrot on Saturday 15th of April 2023 05:23:37 PM
Really? I wasn't watching but that's out of order
Don't wash your dirty laundry in public
And I agree with Indy - yes, Emma might be an easy target in terms of the one-hit wonder attack. But she's our only top-100 player. She's our best. Head and shoulders above the rest. In ranking and in terms of results sheet. So, frankly, she's sitting pretty. And should follow her own path. If Anne has the sulks about it, I imagine that's because Anne's team lost. And that's something for her to deal with.

I'm going to play devil's advocate here.

One the one side we have on paper a badly outclassed team putting in a typical brave British losing performance but showing tenacity and determination and being quite close to pulling off a big surprise. At the event you could see the team visually, verbally and emotionally supporting each other. Players to the general public probably not even recognised and not appearing daily in the papers and magazines in photo shoots for financial sponsors.

On the other hand you have one of the highest profile sports stars in the world. Who just happens to the GB number 1 player. Whatever we personally think of the BJK Cup is irrelevant. It is till though considered an important international competition. Emma's statement was frankly a wee bit stupid. Also she's not some isolated teenager whose just broken onto the tennis scene she's a world star backed by a professional agent and their team who will be planning and managing her career and making her and them a shed load of money. And there's nothing wrong with that but I can't believe that her participation in the BJK cup had not been discussed by them. Her comment came across as crass and frankly a bit disrespectful to other GB players.

In the middle is the team captain, Anne. Personally I think comments should have been kept in house but as captain she has every right to express her thoughts. After all the fact that your number one player basically says she doesn't even know when the BJK cup is going to take place could be seen as a poor reflection on the communication between player and captain. Anne's comments clearly indicate that from her point of view this was not the case.

I do however, completely agree with you that Emma should follow her own path and in terms of where her career is right now, especially in relation to fitness and health, she or her team made the correct choice not to play this weekend. However, it is about communication and how comments are perceived in these situations.

To those who don't follow the game in as much detail and with as much passion as those of us on here do it can easily look like, superstar tennis player turns back on national team to get even more money from a sponsored event. Meanwhile said team go down fighting in a glorious defeat having put country before money. I must stress this is not my feeling on the matter.

indiana · Tennis legend

Good to hear at the end, Harry. I'd been getting worried that the devil's advocate was getting to you

Julia Carrot · All-time great

indiana wrote:
Good to hear at the end, Harry. I'd been getting worried that the devil's advocate was getting to you

smile smile smile smile smile

foobarbaz · Strong Club Player

christ wrote:
I would argue that the team was actually the best that could be fielded.

... and they were a couple of tie breaks from a considerable upset.

I'm not sure that a different team would have done any better.

Experience does count for quite a lot, because there's a lot of pressure at the tail end of these matches. Look at the pressure that Garcia felt in the 2nd set against Dart, even though she had the serve to stay ahead in her service games.

So I'm inclined to agree somewhat with your last point, christ.

Playing two high pressure matches like that in quick succession was a tough ask for Dart, though. She might have felt fit and able before her 2nd match, but the crucial question was how much would she have left in the tank for a 3rd set.

dodrade · Satellite level

Pleased that Lissey and Liv got to play at least, what a comeback!

Of course its disappointing Emma didn't play, and frankly I think we could have nicked it if she had, but more worrying is the fact Anne clearly doesn't have a great relationship with our best player, (not just re: this tie, there's been the odd snippy comment when working for Amazon as well). There is a risk Emma could stay away until there's a new captain, perhaps someone like Tim Henman or Laura Robson would be better at player management?

emmsie69 · ATP level

foobarbaz wrote:
Steve J wrote:
Coup Droit wrote:
Anne, as you say, should grow up a little. Taking everything very personally, and making snippy comments, is hardly what's called for.
The team captain's first priority should be to get the top players to turn out. If she can't do that on a regular basis, she should be replaced.
I disagree with that Steve J, the teams captain's job is to get the most out the players selected for the tie. To that end, Anne is doing a great job, and the GB team continues to punch above it's weight. Team selection is not completely under Anne's control, because it depends on availability.
Player availability in turn depends on a lot of factors, not just player fitness. It's clear that the younger players have been allowed to focus on the tour(s) where they will hopefully establish themselves in the top 100 over the next couple of years.
With a small pool of top flight players to choose from we just have to be realistic. The GB team should be proud of their efforts this weekend, they gave the crowds a lot of enjoyment, and they gave their all for the cause.

I find it really annoying when people start with the 'This player should've been selected' Not one of us on here knows the discussions that go on beforehand. It's perfectly possible that it wasn't just Emma that made herself unavailable.

As for Anne's 'dig' literally every football manager will say the same atleast a few times in their career. it's not a dig at anyone, it's just the reality. France did play their best team, we weren't able to for whatever reason.

The team played out of their skins to even make the matches competitive so Anne must be doing something right.

-- Edited by emmsie69 on Sunday 16th of April 2023 05:53:24 AM

emmsie69 · ATP level

If anyone has been following the Dylan Mulvaney/Nike ****show and follows Sharron Davis on Twitter they will know that less than 1% of sports sponsorship goes to Women. The BJK Cup may be considered irrelevant but Female sport needs these tournaments to raise it's profile and it needs the best players to turn out to do that.
moneysmartathlete.com/women-athletes/gender-inequality-in-sports-sponsorships/

RainDelay · Pro player

If I put myself in Emma's shoes. I've had twelve months of stop start tennis, multiple injuries, have a commitment to play a specific tournament, in the middle of the clay season... Do I risk playing this tie... Not a chance in hell. Furthermore if the so called captain then makes digs or calls me out on it I wouldn't be looking to play again in the future in a hurry.