Alex Bogdanovic: 2006 was "Boggo's" best season to date. He began in stunning form, winning the Wrexham and Bergamo challengers back-to-back. Bergamo was his first overseas title and along the way he beat world no 56 Andreas Seppi. Throughout the season Alex made 9 quarter-finals, showing more consistency, particularly on outdoor surfaces. This included a maiden ATP quarter-final showing, on the grass courts of Newport. He enjoyed a successful 3 months on the autumn European indoor circuit; winning the Shrewsbury challenger, making the Mons challenger final and taking Tim Henman to 3 sets in Bangkok. This saw him reach a career best ranking of 114.
Josh Goodall: Josh became the first British player ever to qualify for two successive grand slams this year, at Wimbledon and the US Open. He enjoyed a productive spell during the spring indoor season, making several semis and quarters in Britain and then a 10k final in Greece. During the British grass-court season he hit top form; reaching the Manchester challenger final, the quarters of the Nottingham challenger and taking a 15k title in Felixstowe. He ended the year in style by reaching two 15k finals in the Czech Republic, taking him to the bring of the top 200, a ranking increase of around 250 places from his position at the start of 2006. Josh also had a successful season in doubles, reaching 3 challenger finals and 6 futures finals with Ross Hutchins aswell as winning a round at Wimbledon, leaving him ranked just outside the top 150.
Richard Bloomfield: 2006 was also undoubtedly Richard's best ever season. He won a round at Wimbledon for the first time, beating Carlos Berlocq before losing to former world no 2 Tommy Haas. The week before, he'd come close to his first ATP victory He achieved a career high ranking of 196 in November after a successful spell on the European indoor circuit which saw him reach the Rennes challenger semis, make the Nottingham challenger quarters and win a 15k title in Glasgow. Earlier in the year, he won another 15k title in Manchester.
Jamie Murray: Jamie has enjoyed a spectacular rankings rise in 2006, going from outside the top 250 at the start of the year to 76 in the world and British no 1. He reached 7 challenger finals (on a variety of surfaces: indoor acrylic, outdoor hard, artificial grass, indoor carpet and clay) and he and Colin Fleming continued their domination of the British indoor season at the start of the year. In June, Jamie made his grand slam debut at Wimbledon and the following month he reached his first ATP final in Los Angeles. With Eric Butorac they knocked out a string of much higher ranked pairs before losing to the all-conquering Bryan brothers in the final. In September, he teamed up with his brother Andy and they reached the final of ATP Bangkok, a run which saw Jamie break the doubles top 100 for the first time.
James Auckland: James become the first British player to crack the doubles top 100 since Andrew Richardson this year. The first half of 2006 saw him build on the previous autumn's doubles performances in challengers; he reached two more semis and a futures final aswell as reaching his first ATP quarter-final (with Andy Murray in San Jose). At the French Open, he and Murray teamed up again to win a round before losing to the Bryans. However, the grass-court season saw his big breakthrough - James and Jamie Delgado beat Nadal and Lopez at Queens (where they made the quarters) and they reached the 3rd round at Wimbledon. James cracked the world's top 100 in September when he made the doubles semis in ATP Mumbai and another ATP semi in St Petersburg saw him move further up the rankings. He ended the year ranked 78. In singles, he reached his first ATP quarter-final in Mumbai before losing in 3 sets to Dmitry Tursunov.
Jamie Delgado: For a long time, Jamie's ambition has been to crack the world's top 100. He came close in 2001, when he reached his career best singles ranking of 121. However, after the 2006 season it looks like it will only be a matter of time before that ambition is realised as Jamie is on the brink of the doubles top 100 at 107. In June, Jamie teamed up with James Auckland and the pair reached the Queens quarter-finals (beating Nadal and Lopez along the way) and the 3rd round of Wimbledon. Successful partnerships with Auckland and Jamie Murray meant that Delgado reached 4 challenger finals in the latter half of the year (on rebound ace, clay and indoor acrylic} aswell as an ATP semi-final in Mumbai. Singles-wise, his 2006 highlight was winning a Wimbledon wildcard via the playoff and then defeating Germany's Michael Berrer in 5 sets in rd1 before going out to Sebatien Grosjean in 4 sets.
Of all tyrannies a tyranny exercised for the good of its victim may be the most oppressive.... those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience
The 'player of the month' and subsequently of the year polls don't include Andy Murray or Tim or Greg on the basis that they are all regulars on the ATP tour and should be doing well. Also Andy would (we hope) win every month/year. It's more a 'best of the rest' poll looking at those trying to make it to the top and showing their acheivements towards that goal.
(USM/anyone correct me if I've got that totally wrong!)
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To look at a thing is quite different from seeing a thing and one does not see anything until one sees its beauty
The others have all done really well by there's no question in my mind as to who deserves this prestigious award.
USM, are you going to contact and tell whoever wins? See if you can get some reaction, a speach to rival the oscars that kind of thing
Same here, I've also gone for Boggo Great performances in challengers this year, he's done consistently better than another Brit (outside the top 2) and if he hadn't had all those rotten draws in June during the grass-court season or had to play Davis Cup, he could be in the top 100 now.
Yeah I can let the winner know as long as it's not Josh Goodall because I don't have any means of contact with him
Boggo has done well but he should be doing this...im not surprised at his record this year...but who would have thought that Josh Goodall would have done what he has....the first british player to ever qualify for two Slams in the same year and was not embarrassed in his first round defeats....played right through the year ending 250 places up the rankings.
Josh gets my vote. Alex would have to be a close 2nd though. Swinging it to Josh for me was his astuteness in playing those late futures. Had Alex topped 100 he'd have definitely deserved it.
Although Alex has had a good, but not a great, year, I think that the improvement that Josh as made this year in both singles and doubles has been much more impressive.
If we compare some figures, we see that Alex has improved his year-on-year ranking by 45 places or 27%, Josh has gained 171 places or 47%.
Alex has improved his points total by 130 or 54%, Josh improved by 114 or 150%
I know that percentage gains are only relative but for most of the year, Josh could not make the main draw of challenger events.
Josh's doubles ranking has improved by over 100 places to 156.
Josh is almost 18 months younger than Alex and, if he keeps progressing, may well start to challenge Alex for the No. 3 spot.
I went for Josh as well: Qualifying for two Grand Slams is an incredible achievement, and bodes well.
It is a shame, though that Jamie M & Aucks's achivements are not reflected in the voting: To get into the top 100 is pretty incredible, but so far only Boggo & Josh jave garnered votes.
Josh because of his success in GS. i think he will prosper next year. i would have gone for boggo, had he been in the final of big challenger then that would have swung it in his favour.
VSandhi20 wrote: Josh because of his success in GS. i think he will prosper next year. i would have gone for boggo, had he been in the final of big challenger then that would have swung it in his favour.
He was in the final of Mons! thats a 125k+H right?
Yeah I can let the winner know as long as it's not Josh Goodall because I don't have any means of contact with him
