Reasons to be cheerful ?

Don't know if anybody has read this column, but it rings some bells from articles on 606 and here, regarding reasons why we don't have or haven't had a British version of Federer or Nadal in the last 45 years and at least the last 10 years. Murray aside, given that he trained in Spain, his brother Jamie is a good example of how the LTA's humongous amounts of cash have not bought ourselves the least flicker in the eye of providence, a slam winner.

Considering Jamie was a better tennis player than Andy when they were younger, it was Jamie's complete dislocation of his forehand by the LTA machine, that relegated his game to that of a doubles partner.

Now that the recent press juggernaut is trying to play Murray's mum into the argument why we haven't got a slam winner, (we won't go into that here please, it just smacks of another media exercise in heaping even more pressure on the lad and insulting his rise to 3 slam finals, to the aprons strings they so avidly describe as his undoing), they are trying to paper over the cracks as usual and not take on the more real aspects of why our coaching is just not up to the standards of other countries, by quite a good margin.

Here's the link to the article and it has contributions from many serious and educated people in tennis today.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-13838432

It is also interesting how its shows the relevant costs of bringing your child in to the arena of professional tennis. Quite an eye opener.

I think reading it feels like Deja Vu over and over again. Identifying the problems and not understanding them.

I posted on a previous thread suggesting that the LTA should look into donating equipment like rackets and balls to schools. That way it captivates the interest and also keeps the cost to families down, until they decide to seriously invest in their child down that route.

Exactly Legendkiller, its no use saying bring your child along if they have had no experience of tennis in the first place, they'll probably hate it because their parents forced it on them. Schools are a good medium to build some interest, but it needs kids to play the game out of school where there are no restrictions on time or behaviour.(The LTA do provide equipment Legend, and have been doing so for a few years now)

Far better to let them have a knock up on a public court, see if they're interested and ask them if they want to take it further, then the interest is there and the coaching will have more effect.

But this needs to have courts built and maintained, equipment provided and costs at an absolute minimum. Most schools provide all the equipment for free, but not many have a tennis court or provision for tennis coaching unless dedicated tennis coaches from clubs or the LTA's web come in to do it.

Yes, they have a muck around at playtime, but its just hit the ball over kids heads running about with soft balls and air racquets, sharing the space with footballs and skipping ropes, its not much of an example, but at least it gives them a flavour.

Its the public parks where the next Murray will surface and hopefully the next British version of a Federer. IMO

An addendum.

At my school, there are tennis coaching lessons after school hours in the summer term and I can tell you that 50% of them are given a choice of sports to do, because they have to stay there so the parents can work normal hours, its not actually a choice of theirs to be there in the 1st place.

Out of a group of 12 kids, 3 want coaching, 3 don't mind doing it to fill time in, but 4 don't want to be there and muck about most of the time and 2 are there regularly because they have learning difficulties and need to be supervised during that hour and a half from 3:30 to 5:00 when the parents come to pick them up.

Its sad, but at least they are getting some decent exercise and are outdoors and not on a PS3.

I am lucky to play down the road where there are 2 courts which are free of charge and it is shocking that they are always empty.

Like you say if kids are given the 'option' at school that tennis is another sporting alternative. When I was at school we never had that luxury. If schools for example offered 'out of hours' sports clubs for kids to play tennis and other sports, it wouldn't be so bad.

Albeit to kids of this country tennis might not seem a 'glamour' sport, but it is an attractive sport to play and it should conveyed in that way.

I think when you look at sports like Football, Cricket and Rugby we can consistently produce players to an international and competitive standard. I find it funny that they jump on the Golf bandwagon when before Harrington's victory in 2007 at The Open, the last British winner was in 1999. Donald and Westwood have near enough been competing at Majors before their recent ascend to the top of thr golfing rankings.

The LTA need to try and find a way to get into schools.

Apart from being expensive, tennis is one of those rare sports that needs a lot of practice before you can start playing it.
Today's children in Britain are kept in house-prison virtually due to pedophiles walking free in our streets.
Only children on estates are out all the time playing football best case scenario.
My local tennis club is very snobby and I chose not to join it despite being offered a place (after waiting for years, someone must've died or couldn't afford £235 annual fee), so basically unless your parents are coaches, you're stuffed.

My local tennis club is very snobby and I chose not to join it despite being offered a place (after waiting for years, someone must've died or couldn't afford £235 annual fee), so basically unless your parents are coaches, you're stuffed..
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£235 is a good price so I am surprised your club is snobby.

You should join ours. It's 200/year and I am the only snob there!

Tenez wrote:My local tennis club is very snobby and I chose not to join it despite being offered a place (after waiting for years, someone must've died or couldn't afford £235 annual fee), so basically unless your parents are coaches, you're stuffed..
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£235 is a good price so I am surprised your club is snobby.

You should join ours. It's 200/year and I am the only snob there!

It's more dead than snobby, in fact....I go to my local park, pay£5 an hour and don't have to look at any of them....