first!

The part with Dan Evans was especially moving. I remember reading the interview of a trainer who trained a few top-200 players, saying that the most difficult was keeping them motivated as they got handed 6-1, 6-0 routs on a regular basis. Isn't it crazy to think that, even if you're in the 200 best players in the world, you still will get humiliated by a player 150 ranks better ? And winning peanuts in the process... Part of what makes tennis I guess. I'd like to read more pieces on those unknown Futures-level hacks, they're a bit like the silent majority in tennis..

Cruel Britannia
Britannia rule the waves
The British press are a pack of knaves

Yes, the British press do look cruel to these young players. But I always say that they are the best but also the worst in the world. It gives a very bad impressions to the rest of the world, one that I do not want to see.

wow - after some time, i dropped in ... and then someone gets into trouble

VC -

lovely

dont know why but really feel for the guy, bogdanovic!
maybe bcos i can relate to him some way.
I will make it a pt next year to see if he gets a break and wins a match and then in the presser announces that he will not be accepting wild cards anymore.

"silent majority" - yes, 6-0,6-1 being the 200th best player in the world...motivation after that? never thought about that aspect. Cruel world of tennis, I guess, covered up by all the glory/money of the top few!
Can you imagine making like $250 (rough translation of GBP 170) for a weeks labor? I feel for these guys and gals.

Not sure if VC is for Vincent, isnt there another poster called VC around here?

Hey Vincent! Havent heard you comment on feds win and rafa's troubles but maybe on the other thread, very interested ofcourse in what you "really" thought about both.

Great post, pete! Some of these questions were real cruel. But it just gives you an idea of what these players have to go through.

Wow, Pete - your fellow journalists are brutal! Seriously, this was a great post the way you quoted these questions. These players are incredible talents as far as being among the top 100/200 players in the entire WORLD, and they are trying their best, presumably training their hearts out. My heart goes out to them - the press can be brutal, particularly in Britain! We also forget sometimes that a lot of these players are just kids (Robson et al).

Where did the "haughty" reference re Dani arise from?

That was quite funny, Pete.
First thing: did anybody expect any of the British players, apart from Murray, to win? Maybe Keothavong, but that was kind of compensated with Baltacha (you are going to win this).
Those British journalist sound a little bit like a pack of wolves festing on the poor guys. Specially Bogdanovic. That series of questions is just too much. But the answers are kind of surprising: so you say you faced great players, and you proceed to put Sargsian and Nadal in the same sentence. They should take away your WC just for that, Boggo.
That kid robson apparently has a brilliant future. I just hope they dont put too much pressure on her too early. After all, she is just 15.

hmmm....intersting, but I enjoyed the one on the french players more, they're a little more flashy. Still, I do kinda feel sorry for the poor chaps. Seems like the only countries that can produce top of the line tennis players are Spain and Serbia right now. Argentina has a bunch of middlin players and Switzerland only has Roger(oh and Stan), the U.S. has ummm....the Williams and Roddick and that's about it. So I say we all try and copy Spain and Serbia 'cause whatever they're doing works!

Pete: Nice work. The Baltacha and Bogdanovic segments were LOLRPFLOMAP funny.

Its a good thing I wasn't in that press room. I might have said something that would have adversely affected any TW-related press rights!

As if these journalists, who I am sure are just in ridiculously good shape themselves, have any standing to give any of these players a hard time.

Bogdanovic is, of course, not famous in the Paris Hilton "I am a public figure and attempting to make money off my faux celebrity" sense, if he has gotten wild cards its because he has played in lower level pro events and would not otherwise qualify for Wimbledon.

The very fact that he needs a wildcard says it all, I mean what in the world would anyone who has any clue about tennis expect? A player who is 200+ in the world and over age 20 or so is not there by accident.

The fact that a 200+ player is simply not going to beat a top 20 player, absent some incredible stroke of luck, especially not over 5 sets.

This is substantively different than the times when the British press, or any press, gives some multi-millionare soccer star a hard time. No one gives you anything in tennis, and even a wild card does not entitled the press to act like they are being hard done by.

Argggh!

Yeah, it's insane. British press make these interviews truly torture chambers.

Geez! That last roll of cruel questions was something else, Pete. Really makes you understand why British actors sometimes prefer the gentle paparazzi of Hollywood.

I think the most notorious incident in the history of the British tabloid press may have been the headline "Gotcha!" used by The Sun after the sinking of the Argentinian ship The Belgrano during the Falklands war, before it became clear that over 300 sailors had died. At the time I was at school and had a job delivering morning papers to earn pocket-money, so I remember it well.

At Queen's Club quite a large number of the accredited press were from local newspapers including the tabloids, most of whom aren't dedicated to following tennis throughout the year. If this is the same at Wimbledon, it might help to explain some of the more-hyena-like-even-than-usual nature of some of the questions thrown.

Ros,

I would be curious how the Brit on the street reacts to this type of coverage. To my mind it is simply dis-honorable to call British players "losers" when it is clear that they may simply be trying their best with the talent they have -- and if the talent that they have is just not up there with the rest of the world then unless Britain has a super-secret "talent injection device" the results are going to be what they are.

I mean, is it not clear that the LTA, or for that matter the USTA, or any "TA" has virtually nothing to do with "producing" world top ten players?

Does anyone think its anything other than total luck that Serbia has Djokovic, Ivanovic, and Jankovic all around at the same time? Its certainly not down to any efforts of the Serbian Tennis Association, if there is such a thing.

Similarly, its not as if the Swiss Tennis Association had anything to do with the development of Federer or Hingis. I mean, come on, if you actually knew how to develop even one "Federer" you would not even have to repeat the process, just develop of few more 1/4 Federer's and you'd have an endless supply of James Blakes!

I'm still steaming at these questions!

A little off topic: but was Tennis World always below Concrete Elbow on the main page of tennis.com? A demotion for Pete due to his low tolerance for white military coats on the grass?

:)

Hank (Dunlop): Well, I have never spoken to any tennis-following person here who really thought that Tim Henman is a loser. Disappointment that he didn't do even better at Wimbledon during the Sampras years is usually tempered by knowledge of who and what Tim was up against.

i.e. the tabloids aren't representative of what everybody thinks. I think Henman is liked and admired for what he actually did achieve, which was a whole lot - not many players get to be as high as number four in the world at any point, after all.

That said, I can't vouch for the entire population that buys tabloids - that's a very large number of people.

So the world-wide backlash
against Bodo's fashion critique of Federer
has made Bodo
a little more careful.

I hope he's been humbled
rather than humiliated.

Pete's comment that Laura Robson has spunk brought back a memory from the Mary Tyler Moore Show:
Lou tells Mary in a congratulatory tone: "You've got spunk!"
Mary nods her head grinning shyly.
Then Lou says: "I hate spunk!"
Anyway, good for this 15 year old for holding her own in the presser.

Ros,

Thanks for the response. I know that the LTA actually does support many players with coaching, and perhaps a training residence, but the reality is that the average ATP or WTA pro who is battling it out in the Futures and Challengers has (1) a very high level of skill, and (2) no reason whatsoever to account to anyone else, other than their personal coach perhaps and their family, for that talent.

There is simply no analogy to other professional team sports where players have guaranteed contracts which are not subject to modification based upon effort or results.

Tennis pros already have instant feedback --- its called losing and not making any money.

For some reason the harshness towards Bogdanovic really makes me angry. If he's given a wildcard because he's the third highest ranking Brit or whatever its no different whatsoever than the fact that the winner of the US National 18s always gets an entry into the U.S. Open. Of course in pretty much every year that player is going to lose, and in pretty much every year there would be some other deserving pro who is kept out of the draw.

Well, wildcards have been part of tournaments since day one, and while it may not be entirely equitable the process is open and the rules are fair.

I need a glass of wine to calm down here.

i have never, ever, repeat ever seen dunlop so mad and seething and i've got to admit, its even better to see his human side than the more technical wiz side of things, he can say what you feel so well, that you have nothing to add.
vamos dunlop!

Fed was on Tennis channel - interview with Bill M and Martina N. Just a couple of minutes ago. Lengthy interview. Fabulous interview. Fabulous. Loved it.

this reminds me of what happens in another sport, cricket, in pakistan and india, when they win, they are treated like Gods, when they lose, at home theres chaos and effigies are burnt and their houses are demolised etc.
Anytime, the collective longing of an entire nation creates this crucible of pressure where an individual, unwittingly, finds himself/herself in, this kind of crap comes about I guess. Atleast in cricket, the yearning has not gone for 70+ years, neverthless when this comes down on an individual, its very ugly to see.

If I remember only one thing from this wimby, it will be bogdanovic and these poor kids who had to "explain" and "defend" their right to exist after "losing yet another opportunity" to redeem a whole nation (atleast their media) from their inferiority complex.
Wonder what will be in store for muzzard if, great scot!, gulbis were to beat him tomorrow.

Let's stay on-topic, please.

this interview with Fowler and martina on TC is great with Feddie...good stuff, thanks TC!

"I didnt need Rafa, but he made me push a little extra..."

Ah Davis Cup... "I would LOVE to play...but it has to wait.."

the guy is honest !

Wow, the british press is mean. I remember a tabloid reporter coming on ESPN a couple years ago and tearing apart Tim Henman. Brad Gilbert looked liked he wanted to punch her. I can't imagine any other country who puts so much pressure on there tennis players. Britain makes France look like a warm and comforting place to lose at your home grand-slam.

Unfourtanetly the LTA seems to give everybody the impression that they are coddling their players too much. While a country's tennis assosciation should aid their players the real focus should be on growing the game on a grass roots level, where the LTA has lacked in recent years. With enough junior tournaments around the UK might attract more talents in waiting to the game but right now they are going to have to live with the journeymen level players that they have. Oh, and Andy Murry, the have to live with him too even though he's scottish not british.

darthhelmethead
Are you talking about Sue Mott? She was a piece of work.

I think the latest position is that murray is both scottish and british, by virtue of an age old loophole in their inhabitation laws.

I share the deepest sentiment of all Britons
in their desire to have a British champion again at Wimbledon
I also want Andrew Murray to win

maybe it's just the wrong time
coz history is not on their side

History will be carved in stone.
letters to be etched in silver "with gold piping"

F e d e r e r
The Undisputed Greatest of All Time!

Good post, Pete. I wad reading boggo's presser with my mouth open, they are in a vicious mood this year, the british press.

One has to hope Murray gets to the finals at least.

I would hope that, as actual practitioners of the game of tennis, boggo, keo et al would have a more realistic assessment of their accomplishments and what they are up against, than the people who are paid to pretend to be incensed by their under performance.

Gosh people lighten up, Pete I thought it was hilarious. I mean if you can't handle the heat get out of the kitchen. I thought some of the questions were fair enough. Why shouldn't Bogo be questioned how come he hasn't made it out of the first round at Wimbledon in eight attempts. He is afterall trying to be a professional tennis player.

"Cruel Britannia" - LOL @ the title, and, general LOL. Too many good lines to pick out a few. :)

Well, we are a nation of sickos. ;-) - courtesy of a commenter on Concrete Elbow. I'm so adopting that. Although actually - I didn't think the questions were all that bad, really. *shrug*

I didn't see Dan Evan's press conference, but, reading it, he came across as kind of deadpan and joky.

also, nice cheer for Bally, and one for Laura R and Georgie Stoop. :) *feels proud*

*admits to liking bagpipe music*

"I think the latest position is that murray is both scottish and british, by virtue of an age old loophole in their inhabitation laws."

more LOL.

Rosangel - I don't remember that headline, but I remember reading about it in a book by Jonathan Raban, Coasting - simply fury-making. Grr.

Britain doesn't produce tennis players cos you need a massive base level, like France and Spain, which have literally millions of tournament-playing youngsters. We have 6000. We have only 6000 tennis-playing juniors because we no longer do ANY sport in schools, because we're all fat and because we've become a nation of welfare-scrounging chavs (trailer trash is the US translation) to whom the notion of playing tennis is as alien as sipping a Pimms at a country-house garden party.

Poor Keothavong, I was totally shocked when I watched the interview - "Do you think you've let a few people down today?" -and was in now way surprised when she broke down in tears.

She was obviously really trying to get beat and the journalist doesn't in the least need to feel there's anything grubby about the way he earns his money.

The sad thing is these journalists must think we enjoy this kind of Christians-to-the-lions spectacle - what do they think we are? Sickos like them?

Nigel - LOL!

Ever so slightly elastic with the truth (I am assuming the "all" doesn't include you :) ), but a fat nation we have certainly become. And perhaps there's something similar in the US where they also seems to be struggling with a dearth of young talent.

But I might add, Nigel, that in my experience, chavs are generally more "urban" than "trailer trash". Ali G is a self-described chav, right?

Hopefully Anne K. will use this traumatic experience as future inspiration.

@Dunlop Maxply

"Does anyone think its anything other than total luck that Serbia has Djokovic, Ivanovic, and Jankovic all around at the same time? Its certainly not down to any efforts of the Serbian Tennis Association, if there is such a thing"

There is a lot of talented kids in Serbia including world top juniors such as Krajinovic, Jovanovski, Krunic, Milojevic etc.So,it's kind of a spanish tennis pattern implemented in Serbia...

Speaking of both chavs and bagpipe music:

Bagpipe Music - Louis Macneice

It's no go the merrygoround, it's no go the rickshaw,
All we want is a limousine and a ticket for the peepshow.
Their knickers are made of crepe-de-chine, their shoes are made of python,
Their halls are lined with tiger rugs and their walls with head of bison.

John MacDonald found a corpse, put it under the sofa,
Waited till it came to life and hit it with a poker,
Sold its eyes for souvenirs, sold its blood for whiskey,
Kept its bones for dumbbells to use when he was fifty.

It's no go the Yogi-man, it's no go Blavatsky,
All we want is a bank balance and a bit of skirt in a taxi.

Annie MacDougall went to milk, caught her foot in the heather,
Woke to hear a dance record playing of Old Vienna.
It's no go your maidenheads, it's no go your culture,
All we want is a Dunlop tire and the devil mend the puncture.

The Laird o' Phelps spent Hogmanay declaring he was sober,
Counted his feet to prove the fact and found he had one foot over.
Mrs. Carmichael had her fifth, looked at the job with repulsion,
Said to the midwife "Take it away; I'm through with overproduction."

It's no go the gossip column, it's no go the Ceilidh,
All we want is a mother's help and a sugar-stick for the baby.

Willie Murray cut his thumb, couldn't count the damage,
Took the hide of an Ayrshire cow and used it for a bandage.
His brother caught three hundred cran when the seas were lavish,
Threw the bleeders back in the sea and went upon the parish.

It's no go the Herring Board, it's no go the Bible,
All we want is a packet of fags when our hands are idle.

It's no go the picture palace, it's no go the stadium,
It's no go the country cot with a pot of pink geraniums,
It's no go the Government grants, it's no go the elections,
Sit on your arse for fifty years and hang your hat on a pension.

It's no go my honey love, it's no go my poppet;
Work your hands from day to day, the winds will blow the profit.
The glass is falling hour by hour, the glass will fall forever,
But if you break the bloody glass you won't hold up the weather.

The perfect antidote to mournful and solemn piping. ;-)

Jewell - Maybe that's why you rarely see his father at any Andy Murray matches: he can't fit in with that massive bandage on his thumb.

One of the most enjoyable posts from you in quite a while, Pete. Perhaps because it was so different, and irreverent (not that I would ever accuse you of NOT being irreverent in your other posts!).

These two lines slayed me:

"Keothavong left the room, composed herself and the first word she said when she returned was: 'Sorry.'"

"Kids say the darndest things."

As did this one:

"I was hoping for a follow-up question, something like this: Did you ever think, I'm gonna win this thing?"

The press corps sure do say the darndest things, don't they?

Then there was this little jab at Daniela:

"I expect that any day now, we'll see Dani show off that "great feel", perhaps by hitting a volley?"

You do know, of coure, that she's a fairly accomplished doubles player. Probably due more to her returns of serve than her volleys, but she does have nice hands. And gams. And... I'll stop now.

Now that I've finished the piece, Pete, I cannot stop laughing..... great stuff!

These Brits are surely the cruelest of them all. Do you simply sit in the back and take notes? How can you possibly compete with that level of sarcasm, and still be able to look at yourself in the mirror?

Thanks for the great post. I particularly like the section "Cutting the Chase". Didn't expect that from a journalist on your fellow blood-seeking journalists.

I start to understand why there arent' much top Brit tennis players.

Pete, it's funny but it hurts, too. is this how the british make up for their stiff upper lips? what if Alex came back with, "it's been 8 years you've been writing all these crap. how does that make you feel?"

After a nice glass of Gwertstremeiner last night I read up a bit following and article in the Guardian and the readers comments.

This doesn't sort of happen by accident. First Wimbledon happens to be in England and makes quite a bit of money, obviously.

Second, that money is basically spent by the LTA on British tennis.

Third, although it seems obvious that there is only so much that money can do in any sport in terms of player development, especially so in tennis where you are probably born with the talent to make it into the top 50 or not, every year at Wimbledon the publicity rises to the top, followed by "where is the money going" and then the tabs jump in.

Of course, Wimbledon has been a big money making tournament probably only since the big television contracts came in. England has never had alot of dept in men's or women's tennis -- the reality is that, barring a fluke of popularity, it basically rains too much to play year round and develop a huge base of players alluded to above.

No reason for the few Brits who actually get out there and try to take such a beating, though.

That lost post sums it up. "it basically rains too much..." That's the crux of the issue. In rainy countries you need indoor courts. They're a lot more expensive i think. Mind you, Murray got a letter from the queen this week and his mum was at the Prime Minister's house this morning, so perhaps they can have a word in someone's ear.

Slice-N-Dice,

Couldn't agree with you more on Daniela.[Grins mischieviously]

This was a fun post. Shows that the British press is a lot different than what we've got in the U.S. Not that the American press corps are Angels. At least the British have wit on their side.