Week 35 - Challenger ($50,000) - Bangkok, Thailand (Hard)

steven · Tennis legend

Week 35 - Challenger ($50,000) - Bangkok, Thailand (Hard)

paulisi · Tennis legend

Lots of drop outs due to US Open qualis, so Kyle is seeded 6th.

Dustov though is in qualifying.

Hopefully straight forward for Kyle to make QF where Duckworth is the seed.

BeefyDeedz · Pro player

Looks like Dustov is actually out of qualifying via w/o?

Good chance for Kyle this. Really should be making the QF and then a good test, hopefully, against Duckworth.

Priesty · Challenger level

Good to see Kyle back in town (so to speak).

wolf · Tennis legend

R1: James Cluskey (IRL) & Kyle Edmund v (3) Hsin-Han Lee & Danai Udomchoke (TPE/THA)

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

So Kyle's new coaching set up decide that the best thing for him to do, is to miss the US Open and head to the Far East for some Challengers. Just a shame then that his new coach hasn't decided to do the same. If the Twitter pictures are anything to go by, Greg Rusedski is at Flushing Meadow. Only defense that I can think of is that maybe Greg has contractual obligations that were signed prior to him becoming Kyle's coach.

EddietheEagle · County player

It does look gross, I agree. Thailand is just the sort of place you need your mega-salaried coach. Someone should ask the LTA if not Rusedski directly.

On a related issue, why are tennis journalists so supine that they'll never pose the awkward questions? Too scared of losing their 'access all areas' passes?.

paulisi · Tennis legend

Kyle is scheduled for court 5 tomorrow - third up

Doubles is last on today.

EddietheEagle · County player

Apologies to Greg, I thought he was Kyle Edmund's coach. Nobody told me he'd switched.

www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/andymurray/11054308/US-Open-2014-Andy-Murray-should-forget-the-flair-and-focus-on-what-brought-him-his-greatest-successes.html

paulisi · Tennis legend

He's only contracted to the LTA for so many days a year, so he can continue his media interests such as working of Sky at Flushing Meadow.

This arrangement is a bit of a farce, but I think he is quite a decent coach to be fair.

EddietheEagle · County player

Not only is he a good coach, he knows what it takes. I question his underlying commitment to the cause, ditto Henman who prefers to glad-hand pros at Wimbledon rather than work on a court with our up and coming players.

But there again, I've felt frustrated ever since Tony Pickard hung his coach's racquet on the nail. Six grand slam titles to his credit, was it?

The lack of technical excellence and the education that flows from it to other instructors, is one of the biggest weaknesses in British tennis.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Greg may well know what it takes but I don't think we can say yet whether he's a good coach. He's never been a coach before. (Helped out, been involved, yes, but never an actual coach of a pro player). So I think it's too early . . (and Andy and Tim have been pretty sceptical about his skills in that department, although they may well be wrong, of course).

Just in general (nothing to do with Greg), the actual coach training programme in the UK is pretty lightweight when compared to other countries, and not thought well of. Far lower in standard.

-- Edited by Coup Droit on Monday 25th of August 2014 10:31:09 AM

paulisi · Tennis legend

It's raining in Bangkok - so Kyle's doubles is delayed.

BeefyDeedz · Pro player

I had hoped that Tim would get involved with coaching but that hasn't transpired to my knowledge.

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

I would imagine Tim would make a very good coach, he seems a thoughtful and determined person without an over-dominant personality. However, I can quite see why he has chosen not to be one. Having travelled the world and spent all his time on tennis courts since age 16, staying in one place and enjoying the fruits of his efforts and spending time with his family and doing different things for a while must appeal enormously.