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JonH comes home · Tennis legend

RE: 2025 British Tennis Forum Player of the Season Qualifiers List (for the Sir Andy Murray Trophy)

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Although Ruben Harris won a junior wheelchair event, only the winners of the 5 main draw events, junior boys and girls and the senior wheelchair singles and doubles are grand slam titles played at all 4 grand slams and leading to a qualification for player of the season. I may review that in future years - each grand slam has one or two discrete categories not held at all the other locations. Eg Australia has the para tennis categories for learning disabilities and hearing disabilities; France and US do junior wheelchair events; Wimbledon majors on the senior and legends events. For now, at least, I dont plan to include them as PoS automatic qualification categories and leave this to the core main events, of which across pros, juniors and wheelchair seniors there are 15.

These things always can get reviewed so may or may not change in the future but for now, Ruben did really well and gets a September PoM nomination from me as a reward for that.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

JonH comes home wrote:
JonH comes home wrote:
2025 Player of the Season Qualifiers List:
1) Andy Lapthorne - Australian Open Wheelchair Quad Doubles
2) Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid - Australian Open and French Open Wheelchair Mens Doubles
3) Alfie Hewett - Australian Open Wheelchair Mens Singles, Jan PoM RU
4) Henry Patten - Australian Open Mens Doubles, Jan PoM
5) Oliver Bonding - Feb PoM
6) Fran Jones - Feb PoM RU, July PoM, Aug PoM RU
7) Jack Draper - Mar PoM
8) Liv Nicholls - Mar PoM RU, Jun PoM
9) Sonay Kartal - Apr PoM
10) Megan Knight - Apr PoM RU
11) Jay Clarke - May PoM
12) Anna McBride - May PoM RU
13) Oli Tarvet - Jun PoM
14) Julian Cash/Lloyd Glasspool - Wimbledon Mens Doubles Champions, July PoM RU, August PoM
No new additions to the PoS field after August PoM.
Looking at where the list could land, with 4 months left, even if we had 8 completely new PoM qualifiers (2 per each of the 4 months) and a couple of fresh slam winners, we are only going to reach 24 players. The GB number ones might add one or two (Emma and Lucy?) , so with a couple of wildcards, 28 is certainly not going to be exceeded as the field and it could well be less this year. Which is fine! Might well land on 24/25 as I dont see 8 different new PoM qualifiers being where we will end up.

In fact, looking again, it could well be we land around 24 or 25 this year including any wildcards. If we have 24 or 28, we will have the usual 4 groups of 6/7 structure. If, however, we land on 25, I will reformat to 5 groups of 5, followed by semis of 2 groups of 5 and a final of 4.

As ever, Ill keep wildcard qualifiers as small as possible to round out the field to the right number. There certainly will be 1 wildcard but no more than 3.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

With Joe and Neal losing their final and, thus, no USO grand slam winners, the biggest tally of direct entries to PoS looks like it will be 25. But almost certainly less than that.

So whatever we land on, we will round the field up to 25 through a wildcard or two and have a 25 field this year.

Round one will be 5 groups of 5 - top 2 to proceed

Semis will be 2 groups of 5 - top 2 to proceed

Final will be 4, as per past years.

Someone suggested a 2 player final after that, but I will stick with a final 4. Dragging it out too long won't work for anyone, we will cross into the AO having started. I actually can't wait for the next 4 months and 4 PoM votes to take place!

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

With the US Open over, I will wait to see the Monday 8th Sept rankings, but actually think it will be ok to call the wheelchair and junior number ones for year end sooner rather than later. More to come this week.

Indeed, some of the main seniors categories can be clearly called as well, I would reckon.

-- Edited by JonH comes home on Sunday 7th of September 2025 10:47:04 AM

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

I mentioned above that I will perhaps take a call on some of the final ranking positions this week and will take them one by one, starting with the ATP, then WTA, then juniors and then wheelchair. I can obviously reverse these if I need to but it helps me with my admin and the embryonic groups I am building. If it turns out that any of these are incorrect, and I have called too early, then I can easily change it later! So no harm done!

ATP Mens Singles

Jack is around 2200 points ahead of Cam based on this mornings rankings. Jack looks like he will lose around 800 points before season end, but Cam will also lose some, not as many. But the net effect will be to leave Cam with around 1700 points to make up. I could have a fantasy world where Cam wins Shanghai and Paris, Jack doesnt play etc, but the reality is that Jack is already 99% certain to be number one come the end of the Paris Masters and the 250 events after that.

So I will call this one for Jack - Jack is in fact already qualified for PoS so it makes no difference. But I am going to call Jack as the British year end number one.

edit - turns out Jack wont play, but Cam still has to gain 1700 points and it wont happen. I do hope he gives it a good run though!

-- Edited by JonH comes home on Monday 8th of September 2025 08:26:16 PM

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

ATP Mens Doubles

This is definitely one still too close to call.

By my reckoning, once we take out the points they have to defend it feels like this:

Lloyd is sitting nett around 90 points ahead of Julian. If they keep playing together which they will, barring injury, Julian wont be able to take him. If Lloyd got injured - hopefully not - then Julian could easily take over

Neal and Joe will end up equal on points but around 1300/1400 behind Lloyd - they have a lot less to defend than Lloyd, Joe has nothing as far as I can tell?

Henry will stay around 2000 behind Lloyd

So although Lloyd is still clear favourite, injury could stop that and / or Joe and Neal could close that gap, given there are two Masters and a Tour Finals and various 500 level events left.

Lloyd though is clear favourite and after the Shanghai event, that picture may cement. For now it is open still.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

WTA Womens Singles

Emma leads this and has very few points to drop at all, just Seoul last year. Katie, and Sonay, both have 400/500 to drop, and when they drop, they and Fran will all be around the 600/700 marks - I think Fran stands to be ahead in the year end list of those 3 in fact.

But even allowing for that, Emma is going to be 700/800 points ahead of each of them. It feels highly unlikely that anyone will catch Emma - our players would need to have some amazing runs and show form at a v high level. Mathematically, sure it is possible, but Emma is as certain as can be , in my mind, to be year end number one Brit

So, for the PoS vote, I will call this one - and with that, Emma gets a Player of the Season vote slot as well.

If the others surprise me, we can change it. And I am happy to be told this is a step too far!

-- Edited by JonH comes home on Thursday 11th of September 2025 02:15:49 PM

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

WTA Doubles

I am a little confused that the WTA dont seem to offer points breakdowns, at least not easy to get at? Open era just does singles. So only thing I had to go on was a) current points and b) LTR 5 week projections

And at that 5 week point, Liv will still 1200 points clear of Maia and Emily. Given that is more points than either has gained all season, it seems hard to fathom that the gap can be closed, particularly as they wont play the remaining 1000 level events or would have to win a couple of big 500 level events.

So, I will call Liv as a clear number one for year end; again, Liv is already qualified so it makes no difference, but clears up the admin.

-- Edited by JonH comes home on Thursday 11th of September 2025 02:16:31 PM

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

2025 Player of the Season Qualifiers List:
1) Andy Lapthorne - Australian Open Wheelchair Quad Doubles
2) Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid - Australian Open and French Open Wheelchair Mens Doubles
3) Alfie Hewett - Australian Open Wheelchair Mens Singles, Jan PoM RU
4) Henry Patten - Australian Open Mens Doubles, Jan PoM
5) Oliver Bonding - Feb PoM
6) Fran Jones - Feb PoM RU, July PoM, Aug PoM RU
7) Jack Draper - Mar PoM, Men's singles #1
8) Liv Nicholls - Mar PoM RU, Jun PoM; Women's Doubles #1
9) Sonay Kartal - Apr PoM
10) Megan Knight - Apr PoM RU
11) Jay Clarke - May PoM
12) Anna McBride - May PoM RU
13) Oli Tarvet - Jun PoM
14) Julian Cash/Lloyd Glasspool - Wimbledon Mens Doubles Champions, July PoM RU, August PoM
15) Emma Raducanu - Women's singles #1

Emma R added to the list of qualifiers as likely women's number one - can be changed if that proves wrong!!
Junior and Wheelchair updated rankings not out yet, so I will take a view on those later on.

-- Edited by JonH comes home on Monday 8th of September 2025 10:44:50 AM

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

ITF Junior Boys

Carrying onto the juniors:

On face value Oli is a long way ahead of Ben and Mark Ceban, both ranking wise (15th versus a long way back) and points wise. But Ben has a lot of points to fall off, roughly 40% of his points. By my calcs, once they are off (and the other two), his gap over Ben will be around 280 points. I am not sure if Oli will play any more junior events of any sort (it was his last slam, so will he play any lesser events), whereas Ben presumably will - 280 points is still a big gap to pull back and Mark in turn will have over 400 points to pull back, but this doesn't feel as clear cut as it might be on face value, so I will refrain from calling this and leave it open.

Oli is already qualified, of course, for PoS but Ben and Mark aren't and so it is important to get it right.

I will keep an eye on it as the next few weeks develop. IF Ben or Mark play at the J500 in Merida or Fort Lauderdale, it maybe we leave this open until then ie into December

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

ITF Junior Girls

This one is the most clear cut. Hannah is some 2-3 times all the girls behind her in terms of current points. She wont lose many, less than all the rivals, pretty much. And she will be 1500 points or more ahead of all of them when points come off.

I dont think anyone can get 1500 points before season end - Mika and Mimi won't presumably play any juniors and even if Hannah doesn't (and probably won't) she won't be caught.

So, Hannah is the number one British girl for the season and I will also add her into the PoS voting list. Well done to her.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

ITF Men's Wheelchair Singles

Alfie is well ahead of Gordon and will be 2200 ahead once any points dropping off this season are taken out. Gordon can't physically amass 2200 points, there aren't enough big events to get anywhere near.

So, Alfie is definitively number one year end - he is already qualified for PoS, however, but nonetheless.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

ITF Women's Wheelchair Singles

Lucy and Cornelia were battling earlier in the season, but Lucy has held out. As of today, she is 170 points ahead and both have a similar amount of points to come off. It is tempting to say Lucy has it, but a series 3 title is worth 120 points and Cornelia has a couple of those the past 12 months.

Lucy will almost certainly prevail but she isn't there yet. Neither player is in PoS yet, so this is one to keep open.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

ITF Quad Wheelchair Singles

This is down to Andy and Greg. Andy is over 700 points ahead of Greg, and has quite a few more to come off. But that will still leave him 500 points ahead.

Greg would need to do something stellar over the next two months to close that gap and he most likely won't - but there is the French Riviera Super Series, Paris Masters (for the top 8 players who want to play) and the NEC Tour Finals, for the top 8 as well. And Greg will most likely be in those.

So, it is possible he could make it back and I will therefore also keep this open.