Wimbledon Build Up

Henri Kontinen warmed up with a semi final in the U18 Queens invitational and looks forward to Roehampton and Wimbledon with confidence and at a career high of 16 in the world ITF junior rankings. Ilija hopefully will make it to Wimbledon, because as crazy as it sounds, he may not be able to get a visa in time. We in the West take for granted how easy it is for us to travel, but previously before I became a British citizen I experienced similar problems and worse playing and travelling as a South African during the apartheid era. If the Olympic and major sporting bodies plus the UN could come to an arrangement that upon attaining a certain level in sport all sportsmen and women were free to travel and play around the world with a world visa, it would be a fantastic accomplishment and be an encouragement for players from poorer nations who by contrast are punished the most. The costs of visas from many nations are expensive and restrictive which is strange given the many pledges of helping struggling nations, the richer countries charge anything up to 500 euros for a visa. Well enough of the politics and back to tennis, a sport that is a wonderful battle of mind, body and heart.

Stefy was only able to get into Surbiton and lost to Naomi Broady, an ex pupil of ours from our time in Leeds, who served well and was able to exploit the fact that Stefy had never set foot onto a grasscourt before the match, due to the bad weather leading into the tournament. She is now in Istanbul and in good form and we hope the work she has done pays off. Anna lost to Georgie Stoop in a close match on the hard, then another tough encounter to Mel South in Birmingham. Today she played an excellent match going down narrowly to Ektarina Marakova 7-6(5) 6-3 and will go into Wimbledon qualifying with increased confidence.

When the weather is fine there is nothing better than the “Englishness of grasscourt tennis” which has a unique feel, sound, civility and a history that is ageless no matter how modern the game. Competition on grass which is as fierce as anywhere in the world retains a dignity, a decorum of tradition which is felt by all players who respect the game and often engenders respect in those who previously did not!

I love this time of year and proud and privileged to be involved for so many years in Wimbledon, one of the worlds greatest sporting events. This year 6 players with links to MCTA will contest The Championships and we wish them the best of luck and success.

David