Rob McLean - Brits should skip the clay and get on grass
With 26 days to go to the start of Wimbledon, the only tennis event that really matters to the British public, it is here where LTA chief executive Roger Draper will be ultimately judged and there could be just a way to get more home players to last longer at Wimbledon than the time it takes to down your first Pimm's.
Ever heard of Ian Flanagan or Spanish player Beatriz Garcia Vidagany? I didn't think so. Both, to coin a very old line, are not even household names in their own household. However, they both proved that being well-prepared on their favourite surface can pay off against the bigger players.
Sixteen years ago the British player, ranked 866 in the world, had his 15 minutes of fame as he stunned Mark Philippoussis, the 1993 Wimbledon runner-up, on grass at Queen's Club; last April Kim Clijsters, the US Open champion, was beaten by world No 258 and clay specialist Garcia Vidagany in the second round of the Andulacia Open.
Both results on paper were shocks due to the disparity in rankings. A closer look reveals that Philippoussis had come off the clay court season and hadn't played on grass for a year and Clijsters had just finished the hard court swing and hadn't set foot on clay for even longer due to her temporary retirement.
The point is that our lowly-ranked players could have a chance against the top ones on grass if they start their preparation early, ie skip all clay court events, practise on grass and let the LTA subsidise the players for lost earnings.
As they normally lose early at the pre-Wimbledon grass events such as Nottingham, Eastbourne and Queen's they are often short of match practice, but the week leading up to Wimbledon could be spent playing other British players, or even better, retired grass court specialists under the watchful eye of the overpaid coaches that the LTA hire from around the world.
As Surbition no longer has a grass court tournament and has 11 courts, that would be the perfect place to hold a series of practice events. Then, hey presto, give them all wild cards and hope for the best. Whether the Surbiton members agree to having their club overrun for a few weeks is a moot point.
The sooner the British girls get on the grass the better. Only three days into the French Open and all three of our players are out, leaving Andy Murray, yet again, to fly the flag. After his marathon win over Richard Gasquet, expect the Scot to emulate Tim Henman and reach the semi-finals.
Also out of the French Open is Ernests Gulbis, albeit due to injury, but it gives him time to reflect on his recent gormless quotes. In a interview, he became the latest loaded celebrity to come out with the crass line that money isn't important.
Gulbis said: "I don't care about money, I don't care about fame. I don't like money and fame, I don't need them and I'm not living for them." Please!!!! As the son of the third richest man in Latvia, he won't be struggling for find loose change for his next tube of balls.
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Date published :
26 May 2010 - 14:22:27
