Jelena on 'Democracy and The Pursuit of Awesomeness'...

I'm going to stop talking about the LTA now - though let me just say in parting that Sky Sports seem bent on hosting some kind of 'face-off' between Mark Petchey (who's a regular commentator there anyway) and Roger Draper (CEO of the LTA). The LTA hasn't yet responded. Claws may be being sharpened as we speak.

The women's event has been underway at Indian Wells since last Thursday though you'd never know that by the way Eurosport has chosen to schedule its coverage this year. We only got our first instalment of play today and that was only one hours worth of highlights from the Jankovic v Pavlyuchenkova match. Jelena lost. The match as well as the plot.

Compromising with scant coverage of the early rounds of the women's event is one thing. But I'm having a really hard time accepting that 4 of the top seeds are out before I've had a chance to see a single live match. This marks a new low, even for the WTA: a situation I didn't think was possible. Instead of putting on an exhibition of 'what women's tennis would be like without the sisters', Jelena, Svetlana, Alize and Elena have single-handedly (though not with the backhand of the same name) reduced the event into 'what tennis would be like without the top seeds'. Well maybe it's not that bad. Not just yet.

But just think, if either one of Ana or Dinara have a bad day (they're never too far), we'll officially be into sideshow territory: not what you want for the first 'Premier' event of the year and yet another poor ad for the WTA. Also not the circumstances I would think, you'd want to see the Wozniacki's or Azarenka's break through in.

I have to admit when I saw Jelena play yesterday, I thought I was watching a different player: Not only did her movement seem sluggish, but her shots lacked the depth and purpose she usually has in spades. Little did I know:

The Serb also complained of 'feeling too heavy' following weeks of intensive training during the off-season.

"In the beginning, I felt really different with my body because I got a little bit of muscles and I felt heavier on the court," she said.

"I was always a certain weight and always my best weapon was my legs. I always moved and I had the anticipation and I was always on the ball.

"Now. I just cannot do that. I'm one step too slow or one step too much into the shot. And then all the strokes break down and I don't have the timing and my accuracy is not there.

I had heard she had attempted to bulk up a little during the off season, but must confess to not noticing any change since the new year - and I certainly wouldn't have thought the changes drastic enough to interfere with her game - her movement no less. I mean that's the equivalent of robbing the A-Rod of his serve or Gasquet of his backhand.

In any event, I'm more than just a little confused as to why she thought it necessary to get all Wonder Woman on us - she's not the paciest of players yes, but her problems were more to do with a lack of willingness to finish points off: Lack of aggression? Sure. Lack of muscles? Not so much.

Just goes to show that in some cases the talents that get you to the top of the game are uniquely your own - mess with them at your peril.

"I mean, overall everything is wrong. I need a lot of work. I wish I had a magic wand and could just fix my game and just play awesome tennis again. I would like it to be that way, but sometimes it's not."

Source: Reuters

The pursuit of 'Awesome Tennis'. What a noble sentiment. What a place the WTA would be if it had more of that elusive 'Awesomeness'. The ATP for example, is a very 'awesome' (not to mention 'happening') place to be right now. All of the top four through in their opening matches. Exactly the way it should be. Not that we haven't had any upsets. Monfils (a top tenner now) went out to Isner in three sets. But Isner wears (I'm told) size fifteen shoes. He's what I call a 'wandering monster': a sort of cross between a Journeyman and a Hulk. Karlovic is a WM too although he can volley very well. WMs lumber from tournie to tournie dispensing their own unique brand of justice. There's usually casualties. Sometimes from the top ten. But the general ordered nature of the ATP right now ensures they never progress too far, much less win a tournament. Take that as a nugget of wisdom. From my very own Tennis Codex. There's more where that came from.

I'd stop watching men's tennis the day I see Ivo lifting a Masters Shield. Tommy Haas is also good at dispensing wisdom. He once said (after losing to Ivo): "There should be a rule ...if you're over 6'6'' ... you can't play". You may not agree, but must admire it for it's precision and simplicity.

Anyway, I'm glad Jelena is so candid about things, as this is now officially a crisis. As I think I've mentioned many times before, I don't normally expect big things from JJ early on in the year - her season ending exertions usually catch up with her and she takes a while to begin to love the new season. But she's usually clicking into gear come March and in any case, things rarely look as bad as they did yesterday.

Still I do expect her to rally, as I've always had her down as a stalwart of sorts (or the closest you can get to one in the current field). Though I'm a little more tentative in my insistence that she'll bag a Roland Garros title in a couple of months time.

Jelena: "Muscles robbed me of my awesomeness"

Oh and if you do find that magic wand Jelena, can you also wave it on Maria's shoulder - she's never been found wanting in 'Awesomeness' (with a capital 'A'). Nor have those Sisters. The rest of the field however, is sadly remiss in it's pursuit of 'awesome tennis'. Wave it on them too while you're at it. I think they could do with the help. Democratise some of that 'awesomeness' I say.

***

Djokovic came through against Argentine Vassallo Arguello yesterday. There was a lot of talk about his racquet and how his unorthodox forehand take back was much better suited to the thinner beamed Wilson.

I don't know how much truth there is in that, but I echo the commentators view that Djoko is looking a lot more like a workhorse this year than someone who routinely dictates play. It's debatable whether that's entirely down to his Head (the racquet that is) - he has after all been off par since that loss to Safin at Wimbledon, but more than one observer has made the point that "he's not hitting through the ball" like he was last year and I myself am convinced his shots are landing a lot shorter.

(Jankovic image: Tennis.com)
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Put'Em Up!

And so the fightback begins.

I know I said I wouldn't make any more postings on the LTA, but in keeping with "Tennis Is Served's" world renowned reputation for independence (huh!) and fair play (almost) I thought I had to give Roger Draper a chance to present his rebuttal.

I had a feeling that the LTA (and by extension Draper) wouldn't take too kindly to Mark Petchey's somewhat high profile attack (more so, considering they are his former employers). After all, calling for the dismantling of the organisation (which presumably includes Draper's job) isn't the subtlest form of criticism.

I'm inclined to not be too hard on Draper as he's only been in charge since 2006, and I do agree with his assertion that change cannot be brought about overnight. But he does himself and the LTA a disservice by not squarely addressing what was presumably Petchey's most pressing complaint: that not enough of that £10 million Draper suggests is being channelled into facilities, is being used to build the game (to quote Petchey) 'from the bottom up' by 'putting rackets in the hands of kids' and subsidising coaching. Instead he talks at length about coaching, high performance centres and marketing, which frankly contains little to convince me that the LTA has started to think of anything other than leafy middle class clubs as their target market.

However, I also can't help but think that the headline "We're getting there..." is the brainchild of a particularly fiendish cynic. That phrase was adopted by British Rail as a slogan in the 80s during it's death throes and only a couple of years before it was privatised. It's considered by some to be (to quote the BBC) "the greatest marketing own goal of all time", as BR were at the time, getting nowhere fast.

A little unfair to Draper though perhaps: a bit like tripping him up on his way to the podium before he's had a chance to present his defence.
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Mark Petchey on 'Show Me the Money'...

After yesterday's post on the bleak state of British Tennis and 2Hander's followup assessment (one which I largely agree with), I thought it would be worth sharing this article by Mark Petchey, as he seems to share our frustration and suggests more 'out of the box' ways at how we might improve things. He also includes a fascinating breakdown of how the LTA choses to channel the whopping £37.1 million it received from Wimbledon - literally showing us (in no uncertain terms) the money!

GB's inability to produce quality players capable of competing at the higher levels of the game, is a source of great frustration to most British tennis lovers as the LTA, whatever else you may think about it, does not want for cash. Yet they continue to pour money into initiatives which ultimately only benefit the well off.

Like Petchey, I don't blame the British players, though I was a little incensed to learn that a player ranked outside of the top 200 can command funding of up to £50k - correct me if I'm wrong, but that's more than the total prize money on offer at some of the lower level ATP events! I wonder what Ana (suddenly those images of her bashing double handers in an emptied out swimming pool seem less cheesy), Novak and countless others that have risen in the rankings these last few years would have to say about that!

So what's gone wrong Petchey?

Too much of this money is spent in areas where it isn't helping build tennis courts, subsidise coaching, putting rackets in the hands of kids and growing the sport from the bottom up.

I don't want to put too fine a point on this, hence the somewhat clumsy bold type face of the points I strongly agree with. In fact we couldn't agree more if we tried. I grew up playing on cement Tennis Courts at my local Park, and although there were one or two cracks with grass growing in between it (and one rather large mole hill!) was a little lucky that for a good few years they were well maintained and accessible price wise. Not so many children had that type of access up and down the country.

The point he makes that stands out for me most is that of subsidised coaching. I saw so much talent and love for the game during those years in my early teens, that I can't help but wonder what might have been had they had access to quality regular coaching sessions. But coaching, along with many other initiatives was (and for the most part continues to be) invariably tied to Club participation - which is simply beyond the reach of most families.

The time has come to disband the LTA in its present structure. In its place should be a group of about eight people who decide how best the money should be spent. In this group I would like to see Tim Henman, David Lloyd and Judy Murray. Not all the services and departments can be discarded, but the cost saving would be immense and would allow substantial investment in grassroots tennis.

Now you're talking Petchey - though I never had you down as a revolutionary! That could almost be construed as fighting talk (!), though it's interesting you chose to include Tim Henman (and not Greg Rusedski who already has a talent spotting role) in your elite band of mercenaries. Not that I don't think he would add something useful to the money spending debate, it's just I don't think he's ever said he wants a role like that either within or outside of the LTA.

The substantial reduction in the cost to parents because of the investment in clubs would ensure a healthy flow of players taking up the game and staying in it. We simply have too few players. The reason is that tennis is still too expensive and for many parents it becomes a labour of love.

A point we've already made and that can't be stressed enough.
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