I like watching the tennis but that whole incident summed up what I don't like about Wimbledon. All the crap about tradition, wearing white, strawberries and creme, it's all so stuck in the past, plucky losers and all that. I feel it has it's head stuffed too far up it's backside. As I said I do like watching the actual tennis though.
Agree, was it Dan Evans who said something similar recently. It's seen too much of a posh sprt here. The LTA only seem to fund clubs populated with a few wealthy people. You'd think they could have bus loads of kids from London housing estates playing there on a daily basis. I am sure they would have plenty of fight and drive in them.when you think how much money the LTA can raise and the relative lack of home grown talent comes through in comparison with smaller nations or even what one determined Dad did with 2 girls on glass strewn public courts it is - like everything posh - just a vehicle for making money not a sporting vehicle for success
Agree, was it Dan Evans who said something similar recently. It's seen too much of a posh sprt here. The LTA only seem to fund clubs populated with a few wealthy people. You'd think they could have bus loads of kids from London housing estates playing there on a daily basis. I am sure they would have plenty of fight and drive in them.
Sad state of affairs really, on every level for you friend. That it still exists is poor. I used to play in the summer with a friend on some courts in Prestwich, in a public park. Wooden rackets with a broken string or two and as you say a shaggy ball. Think the courts are still there. Not enough public courts, bet not many kids have rackets anyway.when I was a kid local schools left the tennis cages open and the nets up even through the summer holidays so us street urchins with shit rackets and a ball like a shaggy Dulux dog could have a knock about - not any more. I remember living up the road from my local tennis club 30 odd years ago - used to walk past on the way to the pub - the accents and the laughter I heard coming over the hedge sounded nothing like the local accent for the area. I had a mate who joined with his Mrs - he just felt uncomfortable and she ended up getting shagged by the guy giving lessons. Needless to say they left - the club and each other
We don’t do too badly in comparison to similar sized nations.when you think how much money the LTA can raise and the relative lack of home grown talent comes through in comparison with smaller nations or even what one determined Dad did with 2 girls on glass strewn public courts it is - like everything posh - just a vehicle for making money not a sporting vehicle for success
It's not as bad as it sounds!Never knew they did zero in Guinness
Sad state of affairs really, on every level for you friend. That it still exists is poor. I used to play in the summer with a friend on some courts in Prestwich, in a public park. Wooden rackets with a broken string or two and as you say a shaggy ball. Think the courts are still there. Not enough public courts, bet not many kids have rackets anyway.
Cameron Norrie, our number one, grew up in New Zealand and spent his junior career there. Andy Murray had a very determined mother who played tennis and for a while provided our only shining light. I always think of Dan Evens as being a bit of an outsider.We don’t do too badly in comparison to similar sized nations.
In the Top50 men’s ranking there are 3 British players, then:
6 Americans
5 Spanish
4 Russians
4 Italians
3 Argies
3 Germans
3 French
2 Canadians
2 Aussies
2 Dutch
1 Serbian, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Greek, Croat, Japanese, Chilean, Polish, Bulgarian, Czech, Kazakh…
Ahh you must be thinking of St Mary's Park, the scene of my greatest teenage tennis triumph when I won a set 6-2 against a 2 year old in a push chairSad state of affairs really, on every level for you friend. That it still exists is poor. I used to play in the summer with a friend on some courts in Prestwich, in a public park. Wooden rackets with a broken string or two and as you say a shaggy ball. Think the courts are still there. Not enough public courts, bet not many kids have rackets anyway.