Entries Week 18 - 29/04/2013

steven · Tennis legend

RE: Entries Week 18 - 29/04/2013

RJA · Hall of fame

Probably a bit too difficult to get to Naples in time to play tomorrow after playing in Grasse today.

steven · Tennis legend

Oops, yes - so much has happened since that I had it in mind that he must have lost his QF yesterday. doh

steven · Tennis legend

Of course, now it was yesterday, but hopefully you know what I mean!

steven · Tennis legend

No he wouldn't - you need to be due to play elsewhere the day qualies start (which always seems rather unfair, if playing the day before also ensures that you will miss sign-in) but you can't get a SE into a Challenger from a Futures anyway - you need to still be playing in an event at the same level or higher.

However, this from Oli this morning suggests there might be more than one Brit in the draw:

"Nice 3.30 alarm this morning. Didnt enjoy that one. Just about to take off to napoli."

That suggests that he has somehow managed to get hold of a main draw WC.

-- Edited by steven on Saturday 27th of April 2013 07:23:38 AM

steven · Tennis legend

steven wrote:
However, this from Oli this morning suggests there might be more than one Brit in the draw:

"Nice 3.30 alarm this morning. Didnt enjoy that one. Just about to take off to napoli."

That suggests that he has somehow managed to get hold of a main draw WC.

Scratch that - just me being dense ... and not having done the men's top 25 table for this week yet. He's playing in a Futures event in Pozzuoli, which is on the Bay of Naples, just a few km away from the city.

-- Edited by steven on Saturday 27th of April 2013 08:02:50 AM

korriban · Challenger level

Would he not have a SE, having been playing the afternoon of the day before qualies were supposed to start?

korriban · Challenger level

Thanks Steven

steven · Tennis legend

RJA wrote:
Count Zero wrote:
sounds like alex didn't make the cut.
I am baffled as to how. He is one out with 2 SEs to clear. No one in Savannah who is still playing should get an SE as they are either in the main draw already or would have been had they entered. The only other challenger this week is in Brazil and there is only one possibility from there they would meet the criteria and that is only if he wins a match that is on court right now.

Alex isn't in the qualifying draw, where the player who was just below him on the alternates list is the top seed, so it looks like you were right and he got in. (unless he didn't and decided not to play qualifying)

I haven't checked the details to see who might have been eligible and I'm just guessing from yesterday's schedule who might have been playing at the time you posted, but I imagine the player in Brazil you were referring to was Maximo Gonzalez, who did end up winning. I assume Lojda might have been eligible too and Alex was aware that there were two players in line for SEs, but although Lojda had already lost by the time you posted, maybe Alex wasn't aware of that when he told the Count he thought he wasn't going to get in.

Anyway, we'll know for sure later today.

RJA · Hall of fame

Lojda wouldn't have been entitled to a SE anyway as his ranking was high enough that he would have been a DA had he entered in the first place.

korriban · Challenger level

RJA wrote:
seagull wrote:
James Marsalek seems to be playing Israel, Greece, Israel?
Yep. I noticed that. Very strange indeed.
Possible that he intended to withdraw from Greece in week 18 (Israel was his second priority for that week) but forgot to do so. Afterall, Israel wasn't his initial forst priority in week 17.

This might be one of the unintended consequences of the LTA fully funding travel, accomodation, coaching and other costs for those on Team Aegon contracts, like James, for all pro tournaments whether $10ks, ATPs or those in between. Oli had a bizarre schedule recently involving Spain, Croatia then Egypt for $10ks across 3-4 weeks. Would any of the unfunded players ever have a schedule like this? For $10ks only? I think not, because of the significant unnecessary flight/travel and hotel costs involved, let alone disruption to player and coach.

I think the travel funding element of the LTA's support needs to be re-thought (to those on Team Aegon contracts, as well as those who don't have them) to limit unnecessary travel for the sake of $10ks (well weekly country hopping anyway), and encourage CHs and ATPs for all relevant players, not just the chosen few.

steven · Tennis legend

It's tricky, because you want to give players and their coaches some freedom in setting their own schedules rather than being too prescriptive, but I do agree with you in this case - it surely wouldn't be impossible to work out a coherent system of travel cost payments that helps all players with a bit of ambition without giving those with little hope of making it at Challenger level licence to waste too much money.

RJA · Hall of fame

In this case I seriously doubt that Marsalek was taking the proverbial. Playing Israel, Greece, Israel, Greece as he appears to be doing is a little bit mad. Even though the distances aren't that bad no player wants to be travelling when it isn't necessary and James has never done anything like this before. I reckon that he ****ed up with his priorities or withdrew from the wrong tournament by mistake.

Spectator · All-time great

Mistakes happen. But I'd agree with others that generally speaking, a policy which limited expense (and carbon emissions, for that matter) would be more helpful!

korriban · Challenger level

I don't mind players country hopping each week for CH and ATPs because often that's the only option, perhaps even $15ks once in a while, but with $10ks there is a minimum "run" of 3 weeks of tournaments in any given country required by the ITF, precisely to provide continuity for players and to minimise costs (which is a very big deal for most).

In Greece, Turkey, Spain you could play $10ks for for 8 weeks in a row if you wanted to.......with Tom F, who has already been playing Turkey for 3 weeks, he's clearly having a break this week (whether in situ or popping home), then starting up again for 2 or 3 weeks from week 19.....and most of the players aim to do it like this, whether they are funded or not, simply to avoid disruption.

That's why I'd want to scrutinise and maybe even veto LTA funded travel plans for $10ks which are wasteful (country hopping) for the Team Aegon group, but offer 3 or 4 funded CH/ATP only trips per year to ALL top 25 players (250-750 say).

Personally, for Team Aegon players into a second or third year in a row of contracts (as opposed to first timers), I'd also want to systematically review their performance after 4 or 5 months of the season and potentially re-allocate their contract to someone else who has performed well if they were, frankly, wasting LTA money with poor performances.