Cardiff Challenger - 2007 Week 16.

Salmon · Tennis legend

Cardiff Challenger - 2007 Week 16.

Salmon · Tennis legend

Cardiff Challenger - 2007.

Count Zero · Tennis legend

yes, its a little bit worrying - maybe he just forgot and missed the deadline?

am sure he would get a WC if he wanted, although it would be a shame to waste a WC on a DE player.

johnnylad · Tennis legend

Looking at the entry list this surface would appear to favour BIG servers.

AM i right?

Sheddie · administrator

You're right Johnny, courts in Cardiff are pretty fast.

Maybe Marray isn't sure whether his shoulder will be ready in time for him to play ? At first he was planning to return at the end of Feb then it was discovered that he might need an operation (which would put him out for several months) but he was hoping that just consistent rest would enable him to start playing again by end of March....that's the last we've heard. Maybe he's realised he needs the op ?

No Baker either for this one which is strange. I wonder if he will head to South America after the Valencia challenger or maybe he'll head back to Europe and prepare for the clay challengers.

Count Zero · Tennis legend

wont jb miss the valencia challnger due to dc?

john · Top national player

You think Baker will play a little more on clay this year then? I think he should do pretty well on clay with his game. From what I've heard, he is capable of grinding away from the baseline and fighting hard but doesn't really have a big weapon. Surely he should pick up results on clay and put him in a nice position before he gets his grass court wildcards and breaks the top 150.

Sheddie · administrator

If Baker wants to play the Valencia challenger then he can do that aswell as DC as it's week following the DC tie....he'd have to fly to the USA on Sunday evening and then hope he gets a Tuesday evening or Wednesday rd1 start.

I think Jamie will play more on clay this year, I'm hoping that he'll make the RG qualies cut (is it generally around 240ish ?) and he should have a chance with little to defend in April. He's looking to play mainly challengers this year and so there's no real way he can avoid the nasty red stuff in May..hopefully we'll see him in qualies for some of those big European challengers, maybe he might go for some ATPs too ?

I agree, he hits with quite a bit of topspin particularly off his forehand which should suit clay and he's got the fitness and grinding capabilities necessary to do well. Outdoor hard is still probably his better surface as Jamie is quite an attacking player, looking to control the rallies by taking the ball early and get to the net to finish pts off when possible but of our top 10 players he's definately the best suited to clay after Murray and Mackin.

Count Zero · Tennis legend

go boggo, pick up another indoor win, this must be one of the few uk challenger he hasnt won/reached the final?

he has won wrexham, nottignham, manchester, sunderland/shrewsbury and runner up at Surbs.

of course there are a few others like bolton and bristol that have been dropped.

Salmon · Tennis legend

Yes, it looks like this is the only one that he hasn't had much success in.

David, the cut was 253 last year and 269 the year before, so he should get in.

Who are the wild cards going to?

Last year we used to debate on the worthy ones among many candidates. This year it's hard to find people who are worth considering for wild cards.

johnnylad · Tennis legend

Be worth giving the wild cards to big servers. Maybe Simon Childs and Chris Eaton for starters.

Boggo would have to serve well consistently to win this challenger

Sheddie · administrator

Boggo did well here last year, reached the quarters while struggling with a leg injury which caused him to miss most of the clay season. He lost 7-5, 7-5 to Gimelstob who's always a tough opponent on quick surfaces.

Prior to 2006, there was an outdoor challenger in Nottingham in mid-April, Boggo didn't do particularly well there, lost to Delgado in rd1 in 2005.

The mid-April challenger and the October one (Bolton/Southampton/Nottingham) are the only two where he hasn't made the final. In Surby, he made the final in 2003 but apart from that year, he's never won a match there which is a bit strange...strong field but it's grass, was unlucky in 2004 to draw Karol Beck in rd1 - a superb grass court player who beat Henman at Queens that year

Sheddie · administrator

From Boggo's perspective, the main dangermen to his chances of making the semis will be Tsonga and Wang. Surprised Wang's dropped so low, he was 120ish when he and Boggo had that really close match in Bangkok last autumn. Sort of player who will give Boggo lots of problems when he's not at his best, very fast and gets so many balls back and also has a good attacking forehand.

Boggo will probably be hoping he's drawn in Waske's half, he's got an excellent record against him. Moodie is the favourite for the title here imo, will be v tough to beat on such a fast surface, Alex has been blown off court by his serve when they've met in the past.

johnnylad · Tennis legend

Tsonga and Moodie will be extremely difficult to beat.

That Phillip Simmonds can booooom his serve as well apparently

Sheddie · administrator

johnnylad wrote:

Be worth giving the wild cards to big servers. Maybe Simon Childs and Chris Eaton for starters.

Eaton isn't a big server.

The LTA will want to give at least one to a young upcoming player and so, either Simon Childs or Dan Cox for me....Childs has the bigger serve but Dan has beaten top 600 players which Childs has yet to do plus he gave Lukas Gregorc (who's 400ish) a v close match at Sunderland in the autumn where the courts are really fast. However, atm I think that either of them will get outclassed against a top 250 player.

I know Evans is the British junior no 1 but he hasn't won many matches at futures qualies or any in futures main draws yet and challengers are several levels above that so giving him a wc would be really throwing him in with the sharks...bit like what happened to Tim Hewitt in Nottingham last October.

The question is..do you give wcs to the players most likely to win matches or do you give them to players for whom the experience will be more valuable.

I'd give wcs to: Matt Smith, Tom Rushby, Chris Eaton, Cox/Childs

However, if I was selecting the four wcs most likely to win matches in Cardiff, I'd pick Childs, Smith, Flanagan and Hutchins.