Tennis Thread

[Citizen of Legoland]

Was goran ivanisecic not a qualifier when he won't Wimbledon about 20 years ago? Or maybe he was a wildcard

Yes he was a wildcard, coming back from injury. I'm guessing he hadn't gone through qualifying and lost that year (not even sure if it's possible to be a wildcard afterwards in that situation).

 

[Trevor Morley's Tache]

I often wonder about talented sports men and women in 'elite' sport whether or not they would be there if it weren't for their privileged background.

Certainly not your average kid from a council estate if you go by a recent Press Association article...

'Raducanu began playing tennis at the age of five at Bromley Tennis Academy. It was perhaps inevitable she would have a sporting life, given the way her father encouraged her as a youngster. After initially attending ballet classes, Raducanu tried horse riding, swimming, tap dancing, basketball, skiing, golf, go-karting and motocross, all alongside tennis, which it soon became apparent was her strength'.

 

[KS55]

I often wonder about talented sports men and women in 'elite' sport whether or not they would be there if it weren't for their privileged background.

Certainly not your average kid from a council estate if you go by a recent Press Association article...

'Raducanu began playing tennis at the age of five at Bromley Tennis Academy. It was perhaps inevitable she would have a sporting life, given the way her father encouraged her as a youngster. After initially attending ballet classes, Raducanu tried horse riding, swimming, tap dancing, basketball, skiing, golf, go-karting and motocross, all alongside tennis, which it soon became apparent was her strength'.

Sir Steve Redgrave was a champion in an elite sport, but came from an ordinary background.
Interesting idea, though. Privilege gives you the opportunity but you still need the talent and the determination.
Princess Anne said that her equestrian sport was not elitist as
"Anybody can do it in their field." Right.

 

[SWP's back]

Sir Steve Redgrave was a champion in an elite sport, but came from an ordinary background.

He was lucky enough to have grown up in Marlow on Thames at a school with a fantastic boat house and he had a wonderful coach.

Back to Emma, what a wonderful breath of fresh she is for women’s tennis. Talented, full of energy and seems to genuinely love what she’s doing and the journey she is on rather than hating the fact she’s there to entertain us doing something she doesn’t enjoy.

She’s going to be an incredibly successful athlete and poster person for her sport and I hope she enjoys every second of it. She’s living the dream.

 

[Trevor Morley's Tache]

Sir Steve Redgrave was a champion in an elite sport, but came from an ordinary background.
Interesting idea, though. Privilege gives you the opportunity but you still need the talent and the determination.
Princess Anne said that her equestrian sport was not elitist as
"Anybody can do it in their field." Right.

Lewis Hamilton also to a degree, but it seems they are few and far between in the elite sports.

 

[ChicagoBlue]

True, and apparently only arise after you have been refused permission to miss press conferences.
Sorry, but there is an element of manipulation here.

And here I was thinking Neanderthals had evolved.

Alive and well, apparently.

 

[KS55]

And here I was thinking Neanderthals had evolved.

Alive and well, apparently.

You're missing the point. It's not about her and her condition, it is about how her PR team tried to manipulate opinion, rather than tell the unadorned truth. She has since apologised for that.

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

And here I was thinking Neanderthals had evolved.

Alive and well, apparently.

Most people would get bored of having to answer the same questions every other day In as bland a way as possible to not create a story.

It was tough out there today against a great opponent, but I managed to dig in and get the win.

It was tough out there today against a great opponent and they dug in and got the win and I wish them all the best for the rest of the tournament.

We hear it all the time. We were so, so good today, more than you believe.

 

[ChicagoBlue]

You're missing the point. It's not about her and her condition, it is about how her PR team tried to manipulate opinion, rather than tell the unadorned truth. She has since apologised for that.

The minute she said she didn’t want to do it, it should have been enough. The PR machine only had to kick into overdrive because the collective tennis world (US Open!) lost its shit at someone daring to say she couldn’t handle the press very well.

Only after much reconsideration was there much genuflecting, in both directions, as people realized that not only is it ridiculously prevalent in sports, but that the media has a role to play, just not the role it does play so often.

We live in an instant tabloid, social media culture, and we almost require athletes and celebrities in any walk of life embrace it. To not want to do so should be acceptable. But, her PR people thought were in the business of creating buzz she had already created and seemed ill-equipped to simply speak her truth to power/promotion of the event.

I apologize if I overstated my initial disdain.

 

[ChicagoBlue]

Most people would get bored of having to answer the same questions every other day In as bland a way as possible to not create a story.

It was tough out there today against a great opponent, but I managed to dig in and get the win.

It was tough out there today against a great opponent and they dug in and got the win and I wish them all the best for the rest of the tournament.

We hear it all the time. We were so, so good today, more than you believe.

Quoting Pep…!