British Tennis Forum - Celebrating 20 Years!

mdewey · Lower Club Player

2026 British Tennis Forum Player of the Season - Wildcard Vote - Round One, Group TWO

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

7 players have votes in this group, one clear leader and all very tight aside

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

2025 British Tennis Forum Player of the Season - Wildcard Vote - Round One, Group TWO

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

As it stands, Mimi leads the way with GB ITF Mens, Arthur and Joe/Neal in equal second.

Luke, Liam and Katy also sit in qualifying places but it is all very tenuous at this point. If it stays this way, though, 7 players will progress alongside 8 from the other group - 15 in total!

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

As things stand, the following are heading out:

Ben, Lui, Jan, George, Emily, Jack P-J, Hollie, Josh

SuperT · Futures level

It has to be Mimi in this group. She has had such a good year and was unlucky to miss out on automatic qualification.

SuperT · Futures level

I don't want you to think I'm criticising you Jon, as you do a brilliant job and put so much work into running these threads. However I hope you don't mind if I say that it would have been nicer for us if there had been more groups with fewer contestants in each so we could have voted for more people. Thanks

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

SuperT wrote:
I don't want you to think I'm criticising you Jon, as you do a brilliant job and put so much work into running these threads. However I hope you don't mind if I say that it would have been nicer for us if there had been more groups with fewer contestants in each so we could have voted for more people. Thanks

Thanks SuperT - and you might be right. And no criticism taken (at least I take it as formative feedback!)

Although the wildcards are supposed to be a bit of a melee. I had originally planned 5 groups with winner of each getting a wildcard and maybe that would have worked better, but I swayed on some earlier advice and went with this.

Maybe it is a bit too much in one group!

Not to worry and thanks for the kind words!

PS the final will be harder!!! (1 group of a lot of players!!)

PPS the PoS finals will be easier!! (4 groups of 7!)

One to think about for next year!!

-- Edited by JonH comes home on Tuesday 30th of December 2025 04:40:15 PM

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

My main concern is we will get a large number of ties going through, which I should have foreseen. So we could end up with maybe 15 in the wildcard final and a similar issue to what you are commenting on above! What I don't want to do is change format now, so we will go with what we have and make it work. The closeness of it all should make it interesting and maybe a gap will open up between the top 6 and the rest in both of the groups.

Peter too · Tennis legend

It came down to a choice between Mimi, Emily and Katy. In the end the I went for Mimi for reaching both the Junior Wimbledon SF and a senior W100 while still a junior.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

This group much more clear cut, at least for top spot. But placings dont really matter.

That said, I will place the players into the wildcard final list in order of positions in the groups, then percentage of vote, then alphabetical first name. No idea if being top of the list gives an advantage at all but at least it recognises first round performance in some way or other!

indiana · Tennis legend

JonH comes home wrote:
SuperT wrote:
I don't want you to think I'm criticising you Jon, as you do a brilliant job and put so much work into running these threads. However I hope you don't mind if I say that it would have been nicer for us if there had been more groups with fewer contestants in each so we could have voted for more people. Thanks
Thanks SuperT - and you might be right. And no criticism taken (at least I take it as formative feedback!)
Although the wildcards are supposed to be a bit of a melee. I had originally planned 5 groups with winner of each getting a wildcard and maybe that would have worked better, but I swayed on some earlier advice and went with this.
Maybe it is a bit too much in one group!
Not to worry and thanks for the kind words!
PS the final will be harder!!! (1 group of a lot of players!!)
PPS the PoS finals will be easier!! (4 groups of 7!)
One to think about for next year!!

-- Edited by JonH comes home on Tuesday 30th of December 2025 04:40:15 PM

I guess I am partly responsible in that I was unsure about the having as many groups as WCs idea, posting in the WC nominations threads about the potential issue of 'big guns' being drawn in the same group:

"Just a thought I had been having on having as many as groups as WCs ..

With clearly some good contenders ( as you have said some possibly stronger than others already in the PoS line-up ) there might ultimately be one or two that are collectively seen as much stronger here than the rest of the WCs nominations.
eg. if one is particularly seen as stronger, the others that land in their group are a bit stuffed, or if two are thought to stand out, they could land in the same group and that is tough on the one that comes second.
Just running past you what you have already probably considered and I am quite happy to stay with the random jeopardy as it is planned, since, -
a) this is an extra chance for all here anyway, having not previously made the PoS line-up through the other means.
b) there easily might not be an even number of WC places available to allow 2 groups with first 2 in each through, and an alternative of an initial R1 and WC final would no doubt muck-up your ovetall schedule a bit
So, as I said, I was just running it by you, but I'm quite happy to leave it as planned and let's see if we have a group of death."

So essentially I raised that issue but was still quite happy to leave it that way if you wanted to.
I guess an in between would be to have a R1 of say 4 groups putting the first 3 into a final, or even 5 or 6 groups putting through the first 2. So both a bit less jeopardy and more groups to start with before a final 10 or 12 ( maybe even 2 finals so more votes again if looking for an even better of WCs ).
Anyway, as you say, for next year.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

indiana wrote:
JonH comes home wrote:
SuperT wrote:
I don't want you to think I'm criticising you Jon, as you do a brilliant job and put so much work into running these threads. However I hope you don't mind if I say that it would have been nicer for us if there had been more groups with fewer contestants in each so we could have voted for more people. Thanks
Thanks SuperT - and you might be right. And no criticism taken (at least I take it as formative feedback!)
Although the wildcards are supposed to be a bit of a melee. I had originally planned 5 groups with winner of each getting a wildcard and maybe that would have worked better, but I swayed on some earlier advice and went with this.
Maybe it is a bit too much in one group!
Not to worry and thanks for the kind words!
PS the final will be harder!!! (1 group of a lot of players!!)
PPS the PoS finals will be easier!! (4 groups of 7!)
One to think about for next year!!

-- Edited by JonH comes home on Tuesday 30th of December 2025 04:40:15 PM
I guess I am partly responsible in that I was unsure about the having as many groups as WCs idea, posting in the WC nominations threads about the potential issue of 'big guns' being drawn in the same group :
"Just a thought I had been having on having as many as groups as WCs ..
With clearly some good contenders ( as you have said some possibly stronger than others already in the PoS line-up ) there might ultimately be one or two that are collectively seen as much stronger here than the rest of the WCs nominations.
eg. if one is particularly seen as stronger, the others that land in their group are a bit stuffed, or if two are thought to stand out, they could land in the same group and that is tough on the one that comes second.
Just running past you what you have already probably considered and I am quite happy to stay with the random jeopardy as it is planned, since, -
a) this is an extra chance for all here anyway, having not previously made the PoS line-up through the other means.
b) there easily might not be an even number of WC places available to allow 2 groups with first 2 in each through, and an alternative of an initial R1 and WC final would no doubt muck-up your ovetall schedule a bit
So, as I said, I was just unning it by you, but I'm quite happy to leave it as planned and let's see if we have a group of death."

So essentially I raised that issue but was still quite happy to leave it that way if you wanted to.
I guess an in between would be to have a R1 of say 4 groups putting the first 3 into a final, or even 5 or 6 groups putting through the first 2. So both a bit less jeopardy and more groups to start with before a final 10 or 12 ( maybe even 2 finals so more votes again if looking for an even better of WCs ).
Anyway, as you say, for next year.

Dont worry, it was my call! It also made sense, just unintended consequences! its like i play around with vote timings, shortening them to a day and a half and then finding it put extra commitment on me to be around for the vote close. Hence the move back to two days recently to give more certainty.

anyway, it is what it is and the closeness of it all is interesting and the final will be a dogfight!

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

As an aside, the 23 already qualified players are drawn into groups for PoS. The wildcards and where they land could prove v interesting though! Given their strength this year, one or two wildcards could make a mark, something weve not usually seen before.

indiana · Tennis legend

That GB ITF Men's Singles Players nomination was a bit different.

But then they were different this year with their huge title haul and all these rankings rises.

So be different, vote for them just as I have just done.