Can we finally put British tennis out of it's misery?
Discussion
British tennis. A national embarrassment. Both Murray and Henman knocked out in the 1st round of the Outback Challenge, or whatever it's called. It's not as if they try hard but get beaten by better opponents. Murray lost to a 7-year old Australian girl who got her first tennis racket for Christmas.
It's time to finally put an end to the horrible debacle that is British tennis, Wimbledon can be made into flats and the whole sordid affair should be brushed under the carpet.
It's time to finally put an end to the horrible debacle that is British tennis, Wimbledon can be made into flats and the whole sordid affair should be brushed under the carpet.
chilli said:
Harsh....... But very fair! Henman, nice bloke but had said before that he's just not good enough. Fair play to him for sticking ot out this far, cause I wouldn't bother doing anything if I was just making up the numbers.
www.atptennis.com/en/players/playerprofiles/default2.asp?playersearch=Henman%2C+Tim
I can think of 11,068,612 reasons to stick it out.
marki said:
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I can think of 11,068,612 reasons to stick it out.
All for being an also ran ,, nice
Is there an equivalent ranking for football players? I wonder how many of the England team would make it into the top 20 footballers in the world. People need to have a non-tabloid understanding of sports. Tabloid view = over hype and over pressure home grown talent, then knock them down when they don't meet these "expectations". Idiots! How about some genuine support for once?
Give Henman his due, he's been in the top few for years now but is definitely approaching the end of his ATP career. When can he move onto the Masters tour?
Murray is still learning how to play on the senior tour, give him a chance.
slapmatt said:
British tennis. A national embarrassment. Both Murray and Henman knocked out in the 1st round of the Outback Challenge, or whatever it's called. It's not as if they try hard but get beaten by better opponents. Murray lost to a 7-year old Australian girl who got her first tennis racket for Christmas.
It's time to finally put an end to the horrible debacle that is British tennis, Wimbledon can be made into flats and the whole sordid affair should be brushed under the carpet.
F@cking INSPIRED critique - and so brutally spot on.
Nothing is so cringeworthy as to see our risible ex-semi stars during the great fortnight interview the past masters in the commentary rooms: I mean, what must McEnroe be thinking when old Susie Quattro looks achingly into his steely eyes, desperate for some paternal words of encouragement for the latest no-hoper?
Thinks - "Goddam useless limeys! I do not believe how Goddam crap these imbeciles are! Goddamit, I've got boat house algi with a better backhand return than these losers!"
Says - "Er, right, yeah, sure, ya, I guess if he practices for ever and a day he might be fit to serve me a tequila, right?"
marki said:
[
I can think of 11,068,612 reasons to stick it out.
All for being an also ran ,, nice
The vast majority of us (obviously) don't make it to the top of our chosen career, but it must be pretty tough mentally to publically be so second rate.
>> Edited by deva link on Tuesday 17th January 15:06
I am really irritated by the hugely disproportionate amount of time the BBC give to Tennis (and cricket for that matter). We have motorcycling world champions and no-one is aware of it because they get absolutely zero exposure in the media. We have a third rate international tennis player who never, EVER, wins and always gets knocked out in an early round "much to everyone's dissapointment", and he is everywhere.
Henman - give up.
BBC and media - give some coverage to the many sports we do well at but you ignore.
Henman - give up.
BBC and media - give some coverage to the many sports we do well at but you ignore.
Calling Henman 'very' second rate and saying he should give up is tabloidesque nonsense. So he never won a grand slam? That hardly makes him a failure, he just never reached the very highest level. He is the most successful British male tennis player in living memory. The only sports where Britain has any chance of reaching that top level these days are those played seriously by only a small number of countries, counting both rugby and cricket in this and we are not even that good at either of them.
Henman's success is comparable to, say, Colin Montgomery. Excellent golfer, consistenly one of the top few in the world over a long career but never won a major championship. Yet nobody slags him off in the same way as Henman.
As for Murray, he's a kid! Try to remember he survived the Dunblane massacre as well before you accuse him of having no bottle.
Henman's success is comparable to, say, Colin Montgomery. Excellent golfer, consistenly one of the top few in the world over a long career but never won a major championship. Yet nobody slags him off in the same way as Henman.
As for Murray, he's a kid! Try to remember he survived the Dunblane massacre as well before you accuse him of having no bottle.
DieselJohn said:
Calling Henman 'very' second rate and saying he should give up is tabloidesque nonsense. So he never won a grand slam? That hardly makes him a failure, he just never reached the very highest level. He is the most successful British male tennis player in living memory. The only sports where Britain has any chance of reaching that top level these days are those played seriously by only a small number of countries, counting both rugby and cricket in this and we are not even that good at either of them.
I'm sorry, but this is what REALLY annoys me about Henman. Yes, he is the best British tennis player, but on the scale of World tennis players he's shite. Britain has actual World Champions at their given sports, but they receive absolutely no coverage due to the massive bias that the media and in particular the BBC give to tennis.
DieselJohn said:
Henman's success is comparable to, say, Colin Montgomery. Excellent golfer, consistenly one of the top few in the world over a long career but never won a major championship. Yet nobody slags him off in the same way as Henman.
At least Monty has actually won a few tournament - and I'm not talking about the West Oxfordshire Invitational, which is about the best title Henman can claim to have won.
DieselJohn said:
As for Murray, he's a kid! Try to remember he survived the Dunblane massacre as well before you accuse him of having no bottle.
Surely more through luck than judgement though?????
Henman has won 11 career singles titles and 4 doubles titles and an olympic silver medal (I think). No grand slams but he wasn't playing against amateurs.
2005 was the first year since 1996 he finished outside the world top 20. Hardly 'shite'.
www.atptennis.com/en/players/playerprofiles/Highlights/default.asp?playernumber=H336
As for Murray, you go through a childhood experience that none of us can even begin to imagine and then still make a success of your life. Then decide if it was luck or judgment.
>> Edited by DieselJohn on Tuesday 17th January 14:33
2005 was the first year since 1996 he finished outside the world top 20. Hardly 'shite'.
www.atptennis.com/en/players/playerprofiles/Highlights/default.asp?playernumber=H336
As for Murray, you go through a childhood experience that none of us can even begin to imagine and then still make a success of your life. Then decide if it was luck or judgment.
>> Edited by DieselJohn on Tuesday 17th January 14:33
slapmatt said:
British tennis. A national embarrassment. Both Murray and Henman knocked out in the 1st round of the Outback Challenge, or whatever it's called. It's not as if they try hard but get beaten by better opponents. Murray lost to a 7-year old Australian girl who got her first tennis racket for Christmas.
It's time to finally put an end to the horrible debacle that is British tennis, Wimbledon can be made into flats and the whole sordid affair should be brushed under the carpet.
Complate Bollox. Murray was beaten by a player 20 places above him in the ranking.
Henman has spent practically the whole of the last ten years in the 10 ten of world players, much of it in the top 6. By any standards he's had a hugely successful career. If you're in the top 6 in the world at your chosen profession, well done. If not you look a little foolish making disparaging remarks about someone else who is.
The All England lawn Tennis and Croquet club is a private members club who happen to host the most successful and prestigious tennis tournament in the world. You can rely on its 375 members to decide when and if the time has come to call it a day.
derestrictor said:
I mean, what must McEnroe be thinking when old Susie Quattro looks achingly into his steely eyes, desperate for some paternal words of encouragement for the latest no-hoper?
Eh? You've got me there Simon.
What has Suzy Q got to do with it? Mac is married to a rock chick but it aint Suzy.........
(Or did you mean suzy B?
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