BTQ: Issue 11 by British Tennis Quarterly

GET THE LOOK! Dress like your tennis heroes on and off the court with the latest kit. See page 40 ISSUE 11

BTQ SPECIAL: SUMMER LOVING From marvellous Murray to Davis Cup delight, we round up a great summer for British Tennis

GREAT BRITISH TENNIS WEEKEND This summer saw 39 venues open their doors to welcome tennis fans onto their courts

KEEPING YOUR OPTIONS OPEN Why university tennis in the US or UK could be the answer to furthering your career and education

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AUTUMN 2013

BORIS JOHNSON The Mayor of London shares his love for tennis and his priorities for the future of sport LIFE IS SUITE The LTA’s performance analysis team on how new technology is helping to improve players NET GAINS The dos and don’ts of using Facebook and Twitter to promote your coaching programmes

Life in the Armed Forces doesn’t necessarily mean an end to time on court – we go behind enemy lines to uncover the world of military tennis MY PHOTO WALL // JUDY MURRAY SPEAKS // DRESS LIKE A WINNER // WELLBEING AND FITNESS // AND MORE!

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Welcome

elcome one and all to the fnal issue of BTQ. It has been a fantastic three years of publishing fun and informative features and news articles for you to enjoy. But fear not, the fun does not stop here. All the great content you’re used to receiving in BTQ will still be on the agenda – we will just be making it available in improved formats (see page 6 for details).

And you still have this whole lovely new issue here to occupy your reading time, so get stuck in! As you’ll have seen from our cover, BTQ has delved into the world of Armed Forces tennis to see how servicemen and women combine their life on the front line with that of the baseline. We speak to three great players who manage to balance a full-time career in the forces with more than just a casual hit – we’re talking The All England Club! We’ve also got a round-up of all the summer achievements, especially those of one Mr Murray – and we thoroughly enjoyed reliving the journey that got him to www.lta.org.uk

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that crowning moment in July. And don’t forget to read page 42 to see how proud mum Judy found the Wimbledon Champions’ Ball, surrounded by the stars! My photo wall sees what tennis means to you with a collection of the best photos tweeted to us by you guys over the summer. We also fnd out what the likes of Sue Barker, Jimmy Carr and Jonathan Ross have to say, not to mention what London Mayor Boris Johnson thinks about our sport – see the Q&A on page 50. And if you’re a coach trying to promote your own programme, then make sure you fick to page 44 for some advice on how to use social media to your advantage. We have loads of top tips that are sure to drive interest in you and your set-up. We hope you enjoy this fnal issue of BTQ, along with all the others. And don’t forget that we still want to hear your stories and news, so keep sending them in to editorial@lta.org.uk. The BTQ Team, over and out... autumn 2013

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Cover: Sundeep Bhui

CONTENTS ISSUE 11

Leading engineering technician Scott Nicholls on life aboard HMS Victorious – and how he still manages to get onto the courts

AUTUMN 2013

Published by the LTA Editor: Ellie Carr The Lawn Tennis Association The National Tennis Centre 100 Priory Lane, Roehampton London SW15 5JQ editorial@lta.org.uk Design by Seven. Print by Charterhouse. *All ﬁgures are taken as of 21/10/13 All information correct at time of going to press. All rights reserved. Articles may not be reproduced without permission from the LTA. No responsibility will be accepted for any errors or omissions, or comments made by writers or interviewees. Views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily the views of the LTA. Photo Credits: Alamy, Getty Images, Mike Harrington, iStockphotos, LTA/James Jordan, Shutterstock

Photography Terms and Conditions By submitting photographs, videos or any other content ﬁlmed, recorded or taken (the Content) to British Tennis Quarterly, you hereby grant and assign to the LTA the right to make, use and show the Content in any format from time to time (including but not limited to in British Tennis Quarterly or on www.lta.org.uk) in connection with the promotion of British Tennis or the LTA without compensation. Such promotional activities by the LTA shall not be identiﬁed as or represented to be an endorsement by you (or any individuals featured in the Content) of any product or company. If you are submitting Content featuring other individuals, you warrant that you have obtained the consent of such individuals to your submission of the Content and have ensured such individuals have read and agreed to this statement. If you are submitting Content featuring any children, you also warrant that you have obtained the consent of the parent or guardian of such children to your submission of the Content and have ensured that the parent or guardian has read and agreed to this statement. Please provide the contact details of each child’s parent or guardian as we may need to contact them.

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Since captain Leon Smith joined in 2010, the Aegon GB Davis Cup Team have been on an incredible journey, culminating in a place back among the world’s elite

Former British No.1 Greg Rusedski was on hand to entertain young fans at The Pavilion Sports and Café in Haringey, as part of the Great British Tennis Weekend

FEATURES 06 The future of BTQ How you can still keep up to date with all your favourite tennis news and features 08 #TennisIs What does tennis mean to you? We look at some of the inspirational messages behind #TennisIs 20 My photo wall Who would play tennis on their wedding day or half-naked in the snow? BTQ readers, that’s who... 24 Military tennis How a career in the Army, Air Force or Royal Navy does not necessarily mean an end to life on the tennis court 28 Premium products Mini Tennis, Cardio Tennis and, coming soon, Tennis Xpress – there really is something for everyone

32 Great British Tennis Weekend This summer saw 39 venues throw open their doors to welcome thousands of tennis fans, young and old 36 University tennis The road to becoming a professional is a tough one, so keeping your options open makes perfect sense

SPECIAL SECTION 13 Summer loving What an amazing summer for British Tennis it has been, from Andy Murray winning The Championships, Wimbledon, to the Aegon GB Davis Cup Team securing promotion to the World Group. We look at the highlights

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QUARTERLY QUOTES

The dos and don’ts of using social networks to boost your club’s proﬁle and reach an audience of millions

A selection of the best bits from this issue of BTQ

“There I was in my beautiful Jenny Packham dress. Sequinned, sparkling and borrowed.” Judy Murray on the Wimbledon Champions’ Ball

“As anyone who saw me take part in a charity set at Queen’s earlier this year will know, I am still working on some of the ﬁner points of my game.” Boris Johnson makes a racket at Queen’s

How the latest technology is being used at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton to analyse and improve the performance of players

London Mayor Boris Johnson swaps one of his famous bikes for a shot at the tennis high life

INSIDER

20 Tennis fans, former players and celebrities share their thoughts on what the sport means to them

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40 The winning look Check out the latest kit the professionals have been wearing at this year’s end-of-season finales 42 Judy Murray speaks Britain’s top tennis mum on the struggle of living the tennis life and dealing with the off-court activities 44 Coaching corner How best to reach the millions of Twitter and Facebook users in order to boost the profile of your club and promote your tennis programmes 46 Tennis wellbeing and fitness The role of the LTA’s research and development team and the advances in technology to aid analysis 48 Nike Junior Tour The Nike Junior Tour sees the world’s best 12U and 14U players compete in Florida. We look at the four players who have topped the UK leaderboards 50 Q&A London Mayor Boris Johnson on his love for tennis and why top-quality sport in the capital is essential for the health of the nation – and the economy

“The coaches worked me extremely hard and showed such dedication in helping me achieve my goals.” Dom Inglot on Stateside studying

“There are so many really talented youngsters in the country and the work we do with them can really help progress their game.” Charlotte Connon on the importance of performance analysis

“I am so excited to be able to compete in the Nike Junior Tour International Masters and I’m looking to do really well.” Lauryn John-Baptiste, one for the future

29/10/2013 11:47

FEATURE

GAME, SET & MATCH HOW TO HEAR OUR NEWS!

fter three years it’s sadly time to say farewell to BTQ in its current format. But worry not, you’ll still be receiving all the same great stories and news updates by other means! BTQ started out to provide regular updates to people in the tennis community on the things that matter to them. With developments in technology moving at a rate of knots we need to make sure we are keeping up with the times and supporting you as best we can. Having asked you your views we know how much you enjoy receiving 6

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stories from us, and that you would be very happy to receive news and features from us digitally. Not only does this mean we can be more targeted with our content, only sending you the info you want to hear about, but it also allows us to act faster and make sure our stories are up to date and on the pulse.

LTA WEBSITE

MEMBERS’ EMAIL

We also have very active social media channels. If you’re already connected with us you’ll be used to seeing the stories we post – if not, then make sure you “friend” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. We have regular competitions, games, news and features for all, each and every week.

If you’re a British Tennis Member you’ll receive a monthly newsletter from us. This covers a range of updates and goings on in the tennis world, and we’ll be sharing our same great features with you in this way.

If you’ve been an avid BTQ reader for the past few years you’ll know only too well that we regularly refer back to our website for more information. There is a wealth of material available to everyone on the LTA website.

FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND YOUTUBE

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29/10/2013 11:45

FEATURE

WE HAVE IT COVERED And don’t forget, all our great features from the past three years are all available online as digimags – just visit the BTQ webpage and click on the issue you’d like to view.

BEST BITS We’ve published so many great stories in BTQ, but here are a few of our favourites:

Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski interview (issue 10, page 32)

Women, girls and tennis… the perfect match (issue 7, page 14)

YOUT,HANK STO FELL RYT OW Than ELLE k their s to e s RS! ab tories veryon

e out y t our t o BTQ. W who has a ente great nuennis livee’ve love sent in Plea rtaining mber of s and p d readin se d ubl g an in you aon’t stopecdotes spiring a ished than nd nd w – w stor ill con e love h ks to y chan ies throu tinue to earing f ou. rom nels tell gh o stor . Send y ur digit your editoies and nour photoal ew s, rial@ lta.o s to rg.uk

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My photo wall with Heather Watson (issue 4, page 22)

Judy speaks... about the community (issue 9, page 34)

AUTUMN 2013

29/10/2013 11:45

feature

what does tennis mean to you? Is doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter what age you are, how often you play or to what ability you play at, tennis is a sport for everyone. Here, BTQ examines what tennis means for you

British tennis Quarterly

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Like us on facebook.com/britishtennislta

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feAture

Tell us whaT Tennis means To you #Tennisis www.lta.org.uk

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Autumn 2013

29/10/2013 13:17

ADVERTORIAL

The besT years of your life But 36% of people don’t have an active pension plan did yOU KnOW? AegOn finAnciAl fAcT The maximum basic state pension per week is:

£110.15

Source: www.gov.uk

oday, most people want a retirement that’s active and enjoyable. To have more time for the things they enjoy in life, such as tennis, or taking up new hobbies and interests. Financial services company Aegon, the Lead Partner of British Tennis, has commissioned detailed research to fnd out if people in the UK are ready for retirement. It surveyed around 1,200 people and you might be surprised at the results.

Key findings

Of those people within ten years of the state pension age, more than three in ten don’t know how much they’ll need to live on in retirement. Three in ten of those closest to retirement still have no active pension plan in place. One in four don’t know how much income they’ll get from their savings in retirement. Almost two-thirds admitted they had no backup plan in place to provide an income should they be unable to work before they retire.

Getty Images, Mike Harrington

The pensions gender gap remains wide, with almost 40% of women having no form of active pension plan, compared with just over 30% of men. The biggest provision shortage is in Wales and the South West of England, where 46% and 42.9% of respondents respectively have no personal or workplace pension plan. Young respondents, aged 25-34, are showing some signs that they’re beginning to take the right steps to plan for their future. 10

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29/10/2013 12:07

ADVERTORIAL

DID YOU KNOW?

3 IN 10

of those closest to retirement still have no active pension plan in place

2/3 1 IN 4

63.3%

have no income back-up plan should they be unable to work

have never spoken to a ﬁnancial adviser about a pension

Stop and think about your plans for retirement – when you hope to stop working and what you plan to live on. Get an idea of what income you might get from the state and any private or workplace pension plans you may already have. If you’re in a scheme, keep contributing and consider regular increases. Make sure you’re beneﬁting from any contributions your employer makes. This will change under auto enrolment. If you don’t have a private pension plan, start as soon as you can.

don’t know how much income they’ll get from their savings in retirement

AROUND A FIFTH

of those aged between 16 and 34 believe they’ll never retire

@AegonUKtennis launches on Twitter A

egon has recently launched its dedicated tennis Twitter channel, @AegonUKtennis, to increase its digital presence and provide followers with engaging and rewarding content. Followers will be able to ﬁnd out more about Aegon’s sponsorship of British Tennis and get some insider information as it continues to support many of the UK’s top tennis grass-court

tournaments and teams, including the Aegon Championships at The Queen’s Club, and the GB Davis and Fed Cup teams. Followers can also keep an eye out for news of exclusive competitions and promotions. From time to time Aegon may also send out links to useful information about long-term ﬁnancial planning.

Follow @AegonUKtennis

Consider seeking ﬁnancial advice – whether it’s to get you started or to review if you’re on track.

DON’T

Assume your state pension will be enough to live on comfortably.

Assume you’ll be able to keep working indeﬁnitely to pay the bills. Turn down membership of a workplace pension. Put it off until tomorrow – the sooner you start the better. Assume auto enrolment minimum contributions are enough to meet your aspirations. Please note the value of an investment can fall as well as rise and isn’t guaranteed. You may get back less than the amount invested.

To ﬁnd out more visit www.aegon.co.uk www.lta.org.uk

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AUTUMN 2013

29/10/2013 12:07

VIRGIN ACTIVE TENNIS. A WHOLE DIFFERENT BALL GAME. Whether you’re a complete beginner or pretty nifty on the court, you’ll feel right at home on our professionalstandard indoor and outdoor racquet courts. Take advantage of our international coaching team and a packed timetable of games and tournaments for all ages and abilities. In every way, it’s advantage you. Find your nearest club at virginactive.co.uk

VIRGIN ACTIVE HEALTH & RACQUET CLUBS

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25/09/2013 10:10

BTQ Special: Summer round-up

Summer loving From the frst Wimbledon menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s singles champion since Fred Perry in 1936, to Davis Cup heroics in Croatia, it has been an unbelievable summer for British Tennis. BTQ looks back on a memorable few months

unday, 7 July 2013 will be a date long remembered by British Tennis fans. It was the date that a young man from Dunblane in Scotland realised a dream, and when a ghost that has haunted the hallowed halls of Wimbledon for 77 years was fnally exorcised. As the great Novak Djokovic found the net with his last shot of a thrilling fnal, Andy Murray held his head in his hands with disbelief and delight. He was Wimbledon champion, a second Grand Slam to sit

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alongside his US Open title on the Murray mantelpiece. But the summer was not all about Murraymania, as the next few pages of news and events will show. And, of course, the summer ended with another bang as the Aegon GB Davis Cup Team, captained by the calm and collected Leon Smith, secured promotion to the World Group for the frst time since 2008. A tricky tie in the United States awaits, but that is for the future. Now, we relive a great summer for British Tennis. BTQ

AUTUMN 2013

25/10/2013 10:36

BTQ Special: Summer round-up

Andy MurrAy’s

sizzling summer The summer not only provided the opportunity to get outside and pick up a racket in the glorious sunshine, but also gave Britain’s No.1 the chance to fll his trophy cabinet even further…

fter the unprecedented success of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, 2013 was always going to have a hard act to follow. But it didn’t disappoint. Andy Murray started the grass court season with arguably more pressure and expectation than ever before after winning gold and silver medals at London 2012 and claiming his frst Grand Slam singles title at the US Open. At the Australian Open in January, Murray had already shown that he was hungry for yet more Grand Slam success. He reached the fnal and lost in another thrilling battle to world No.1 Novak Djokovic. His grass court season kicked off in style at The Queen’s Club in June. Coming in to the Aegon Championships there were a few question marks over Murray’s ftness after he missed the French Open with a back injury, but he showed no sign of any problems, despite lots of interruptions due to bad weather. Murray cruised through to the semi-fnals with straight-set victories over Nicholas Mahut, Marinko Matosevic and Benjamin Becker, setting up a tough match against Frenchman and former champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. This was a real test for Murray, who lost his frst set of the tournament, but he eventually went on to win in three sets, which meant he would face defending champion Marin Cilic in Sunday’s fnal. 14

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Murray really showed his class in the fnal, once again coming from a set behind to win his third Aegon Championship title. Then the fun started... after the fnal, Murray and Tim Henman took on Tomas Berdych and Ivan Lendl in the Rally Against Cancer charity doubles match. They were joined by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, comedians Michael McIntyre and Jimmy Carr, and Jonathan Ross, Sir Richard Branson and actor Eddie Redmayne – all having fun to support a great cause (see p50 for a Q&A with Boris Johnson). The Rally Against Cancer raised money for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, which supports the world-leading cancer centre where British tennis player and best friend of Murray, Ross Hutchins, has been treated. Murray then moved on to The Championships, Wimbledon, where he was trying to back up his maiden Grand Slam victory by winning the most prestigious tournament in tennis and end the 77-year wait for a British male singles champion. Murray started in impressive form, winning in straight sets against Benjamin Becker in round one, Yen-Hsun Lu in round two, Tommy Robredo in round three and Mikhail Youzhny in round four to progress to the quarter-fnals. In his attempts to reach the semi-fnals Murray was really put to the test against Fernando Verdasco of Spain. Battling back from two sets to

us Open rOund-up

Dan Evans made the headlines at the US Open in Flushing Meadows after a startling run to round three of the tournament, which included upsetting Australian No.1 Bernard Tomic. Andy Murray’s quest to defend his frst Grand Slam title came to an end when he met Stan Wawrinka in the quarter-fnals, while Laura Robson also bowed out in round three. In the men’s doubles Jamie Murray, Dominic Inglot, Jonny Marray and Colin Fleming all made the quarter-fnals.

love down, Murray eventually came through in three hours and 27 minutes in a dramatic fve sets to reach the semi-fnals. Here, he also had to dig deep, coming from a set behind against Poland’s Jerzy Janowicz in a late-night thriller under the Centre Court roof. Murray set up yet another fnal against Djokovic, where he was hoping to go one better than last year. Murray pulled out arguably the best performance of his career to date, hardly putting a foot wrong, and managed to secure victory in three sets. The fnal game turned into one of the battles of the match, with Murray having three championship points from 40-0. Djokovic fought back to deuce, setting up break points with some courageous hitting, before the world No.1 netted a backhand to end the match. Congratulations to Murray and his team – we are sure there are many more Grand Slam titles to come! BTQ Like us on facebook.com/britishtennislta

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29/10/2013 12:15

BTQ Special: Summer round-up

Roll of HonouR Aegon Championships, The Queen’s Club, London Singles Champion Andy Murray Doubles Champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan Aegon International, Devonshire Park, Eastbourne Ladies’ Singles Champion Elena Vesnina Men’s Singles Champion Feliciano Lopez Ladies’ Doubles Champions Nadia Petrova and Katarina Srebotnik Men’s Doubles Champions Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares Aegon Classic, Edgbaston Priory Club, Birmingham Singles Champion Daniela Hantuchova Doubles Champions Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua Aegon Trophy, Nottingham Tennis Centre Men’s Singles Champion Matthew Ebden Men’s Doubles Champions Jamie Murray and John Peers Ladies’ Singles Champion Petra Martic Ladies’ Doubles Champions Maria Sanchez and Nicole Slater Nottingham Challenge, Nottingham Tennis Centre Men’s Singles Champion Steve Johnson Men’s Doubles Champions Sanchai Ratiwatana and Sonchat Ratiwatana Ladies’ Singles Champion Elena Baltacha Ladies’ Doubles Champions Julie Coin and Stephanie Foretz Gacon www.lta.org.uk

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AUTUMN 2013

25/10/2013 11:22

BTQ Special: Summer round-up

tennis in Westminster

Volunteering at Wimbledon This summer saw volunteers spreading their passion for British Tennis and helping to inspire others to get involved in the sport at The Championships, Wimbledon. More than 240 volunteers applied to work at the British Tennis Experience area under No.1 Court during the fortnight. Two teams of six people, from a range of ages, backgrounds and tennis experiences, were selected through a recruitment day. British Tennis Experience volunteers

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encouraged visitors to share what TennisIs to them through a photo booth and message wall. The team also helped visitors fnd out how they can get involved in tennis, showing them how to fnd their nearest court via allplaytennis.com and recommending tennis products and offers such as Cardio Tennis, Mini Tennis and Tennis is Family Time. Look out on www.lta.org.uk/ volunteers-offcials for opportunities to volunteer at The Championships in 2014.

Westminster got a taste of Wimbledon when the Prime Minister met some of the two million children given a chance to play tennis as a result of the schools tennis programme run by the Tennis Foundation and the LTA. The event was part of a programme of activity to promote tennis as a sport for all ages and abilities, at a time when it takes centre stage for the British public the week before The Championships, Wimbledon. The activity saw kids from four primary schools from the Olympic and Paralympic host boroughs trying out LTA Mini Tennis with former British No.1 Greg Rusedski and current British women’s No.2 Johanna Konta. David Cameron had earlier reacted positively at Prime Minister’s Questions

to the LTA’s efforts to increase participation, saying: “I think we should commend the LTA for the work they are doing to try and make tennis much more of a mass participation sport. I see it in the primary school my children go to where more tennis is being taught and played.” Among the pupils attending were children from Britannia Village Primary School, Newham, which this year became the 15,000th school to receive free training and equipment. The school is part of the Aegon Schools Tennis programme, which supports more than half of the schools across Great Britain. This event was supported by John Bercow MP, speaker of the House of Commons, who joined in the tennis activities with the children from schools across London.

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29/10/2013 12:15

BTQ Special: Summer round-up

Birmingham Community groups hit WimBledon

Several community and educational groups involved in tennis in Birmingham were given the opportunity by the Tennis Foundation to visit Wimbledon during this year’s championships. With the majority having never been

before, all groups had a fantastic time and were inspired to keep up their own tennis activity. Here are a selection of accounts and photos from some of the groups who were fortunate enough to be there on the fnal Sunday.

“It was my first time at Wimbledon and I had a fantastic day. The atmosphere when Andy won was amazing. It was probably one of the best trips I have ever been on.” Jaskirat Kaur, Lordswood Girls’ School

“It was one of the best experiences of my life. The one time we went Andy won, which was the cherry on top.” Sophie Floyd, Lordswood Girls’ School

“The weather was fantastic and added to the experience. It was an amazing day and I am so glad that I was there to see history being made by Andy Murray.”

British tennis youth group The British Tennis Youth Group is a new voluntary consultative body for British Tennis, made up of 13 tennis and sports enthusiasts aged between 16 and 25. The group will work on four key areas, including working with national teams at the National Tennis Centre, helping with events and conferences for young people in tennis, supporting projects in

their local area and managing a Youth Legacy Fund. The group was recruited from across Great Britain from applicants with a range of experiences and interests. They have been in a variety of roles, such as, coaching apprentices, university tennis coordinators, club volunteers and social players. One of them used to be an elite wheelchair tennis player.

Barclays aTP World Tour Finals

The O2, 4-11 November 2013 Fear not, this incredible year of tennis isn’t over yet! There are still tickets available for the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at The O2 in November, featuring the top eight singles and doubles players on the tour. For more information visit: www.lta.org.uk/BTQ

Rebecca Stewart, Lordswood Girls’ School

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AUTUMN 2013

25/10/2013 11:22

BTQ Special: Summer round-up

n March 2010, GB slipped to a low point as they lost away to Lithuania and faced a tie that could have seen them relegated into Group III of the Europe/Africa Zone, which was as low as they could have possibly gone. Enter the new captain. Leon Smith came onto the scene ready for the “huge honour and irresistible challenge” of leading his nation. Out went the earring and the long hair, in came a professional and a man who had the respect of the players. Under Smith, Britain’s top singles and doubles players dug in to try and move back up through the divisions. The frst tie overseen by the new captain saw Jamie Baker, James Ward, Colin Fleming and Ken Skupski team up to thrash Turkey 5-0 on the grass courts of Eastbourne. Moving to Bolton, the team, with Jamie Murray brought into the doubles, saw off Tunisia in a tight win that was clinched by Ward, edging Malek Jaziri 8-6 in the ffth set of the fourth rubber. Close, but job done. From there, GB moved to Braehead, Glasgow, a venue that would become their home for the next four ties. A vociferous home support welcomed British No.1 and then world No.4 Andy Murray back into the team. Murray didn’t disappoint, dispatching Laurent Bram of Luxembourg 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 as GB sealed a 4-1 win, thanks to points from both Murray brothers and Ward. It was a similar story in the next tie as the Brits swept aside Hungary, with two wins apiece for Murray and Ward and a doubles victory for Fleming and Ross Hutchins for a 5-0 win. The result saw GB promoted into Group I, stepping up the quality of opponents, and the Slovak Republic, their next opponents, were the toughest challenge Smith had faced up to this point. So he brought Dan Evans back into the fold for the frst time since he’d lost both his rubbers against Lithuania in March 2010. Evans justifed his selection by coolly seeing off Lukas Lacko in straight sets before clinching the tie for GB with a nail-biting fve-set win over Martin Klizan in the deciding rubber. 18

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Davis Cup

The GB journey

Played 8, won 7, lost 1. Not a bad record for any sports team and right now a fantastic achievement for British Tennis. The Aegon GB Davis Cup Team have been on an incredible journey since 2010, culminating in a place back among the world’s elite tennis nations…

The GB team celebrates after beating Croatia

On to Belgium and the chance for GB to move into the World Group play-offs. Unfortunately, Smith’s men stumbled as, despite a win for his doubles pair, his two singles players, Evans and Josh Goodall, lost all their matches. Undeterred, GB tried again in 2013 and fortunately received a frst-round bye, meaning they were

again one win away from the play-offs. This time, Russia stood in their way and GB greeted the 2006 champions at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry. Smith again turned to Evans and, with Murray missing the tie, it fell to him and Ward to attempt a shock GB victory. That victory looked unlikely after day one when both were

narrowly beaten in fve-set epics to hand Russia a 2-0 lead. The comeback began with a doubles win for Fleming and Jonny Marray to leave GB with a fghting chance on Sunday. Ward proved the hero in the fourth rubber, coming from 2-1 down to defeat former world No.20 Dmitry Tursunov before Evans completed

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29/10/2013 12:16

BTQ Special: Summer round-up

Defeat against Belgium in the World Group play-off

the comeback by beating Evgeny Donskoy in straight sets. Cue wild celebrations and great anticipation as to who GB would need to take on in September’s World Group play-offs. Croatia. Away. GB’s chances were boosted by the return of Andy Murray, now a two-time Grand Slam champion, and despite needing to play away from home for the frst time in eight ties, and on clay, GB went in as favourites. Murray won in straight sets against US Open junior champion Borna Coric in the opening rubber, before Ivan Dodig, the world No.35, hit back to even the scores. Murray, wanting to play as much as possible, duly teamed up with Fleming to give GB a doubles win before winning the crucial third point with a straight-sets victory against Dodig. Tie won. The journey from the bottom of Group II to the World Group was complete. The 2014 competition begins on 31 January and the Brits have the tricky task of playing the USA away. But with Smith at the helm and the incredible team spirit and belief ingrained in all the players and backroom staff, why shouldn’t they dream of going all the way. Roll on the next step in the GB Davis Cup journey. BTQ

Captain Leon Smith knows the importance of Andy Murray to GB’s success

Two of GB’s stalwarts, Colin Fleming and Dan Evans, can’t contain their joy

www.lta.org.uk

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DATE

OPPONENT

SCORE

GROUP

ROUND

15 SEP 13

Croatia

4-1

WG-PO

1st Round

07 APR 13

Russia

3-2

Quarter-fnal

08 APR 12

Belgium

1-4

Quarter-fnal

12 FEB 12

Slovak Republic

3-2

1st Round

18 SEP 11

Hungary

5-0

Semi-fnal

10 JUL 11

Luxembourg

4-1

Quarter-fnal

06 MAR 11

Tunisia

4-1

1st Round

11 JUL 10

Turkey

5-0

G2-REL

1st Round AUTUMN 2013

25/10/2013 11:23

FEATURE

MY PHOTO WALL

WITH #TENNISIS

his summer, we asked you to tell us what tennis means to you using #TennisIs, and you answered in your droves. You tweeted us and sent us loads of pictures and videos summing up

your feelings about the sport we all love. In this issue weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve picked out a few of our favourites to share with you. Also, make sure you check out some of the players and celebrities we asked on the right-hand side! BTQ

4 1

BRITISH TENNIS QUARTERLY

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Like us on facebook.com/britishtennislta

www.lta.org.uk

25/10/2013 11:36

FEATURE 1. #tennisIs never missing the chance to play, even on your wedding @sJ_uK1 The winner of our #TennisIs competition was Sarah Johnson, who tweeted this amazing photo of her and her new hubbie playing tennis on their wedding day. Here’s Sarah’s story behind the picture: “My (now) husband and I are big tennis fans, the type that stay up until the early hours just to hear Andy Murray win his frst Grand Slam. We got married on 6 July at a venue that happened to have a tennis court, so we couldn’t resist. Luckily, our photographer happily obliged. “We had spent the night before the wedding watching the Wimbledon semifnals and had already hired out my village cricket club to watch the fnal the next day with friends and family. Little did we know we’d end up with the best wedding present we could hope for. And to top things off, we are having a delayed honeymoon – to Australia in January for you know what...”

famous faces caught on court

Jua deL n mart pot I ro n

sue BarKer

This summer, BTQ paid a visit to the UK’s best grass court tournaments and asked tennis stars past and present – and a few celebrity fans – what the sport means to them... greg Jame s

Here are the best of the rest:

2. #tennisIs our little one starting out @josiecreates 3. #tennisIs the andy murray efect coming into play at malvern @handWLta 4. #tennisIs for all... weathers! @Wadsworthrachel

JImm y car r

dan evans

5. #tennisIs roasting!!!!! @clairey10mc

Jo-WILfrIed tsonga

6. #tennisIs a hit at southsea seafront @si_Johnson 7. #tennisIs playing in the park till the sun goes down @glasgowtennis 8. #tennisIs great fun @tennisfndation 9. #tennisIs peace! and very blue xx @tennisgirlbeyza 10. #tennisIs footfault! over the line! @dvnam www.lta.org.uk

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ross than Jona

eLen a Ba Ltac ha autumn 2013

25/10/2013 11:37

11th La Manga Club Murcia Seniors’ Tennis Open Join us under the warm winter sun for this ofﬁcial Seniors’ Tournament (Category 2) at our superb 28-court Tennis Centre. With men’s and ladies’ singles and doubles competitions, ITF ranking points, fantastic prizes up for grabs and a prize-giving and gala dinner, this is sure to be a truly memorable tennis event.

1st – 6th December 2013 Where?

Accommodation

•

La Manga Club, in the beautiful Murcia region of south-east Spain, enjoying 300 days of sunshine a year.

•

Easy to reach – ﬂy into Murcia (25km) or Alicante (120km).

Get up to 30% off best available web rates on our ofﬁcial tournament accommodation when you book before 31st October. •

Hotel La Manga Club Principe Felipe 5* - located at the heart of the resort and within easy walking distance of the Tennis Centre or

•

Las Lomas Village 4* - offering superbly equipped apartments next to Spa La Manga club and a free shuttle ride away from the Tennis Centre.

•

Enjoy: complimentary access facilities at Spa La Manga Club and the Tennis Centre; free WiFi in all accommodation; free shuttle bus; free use of tennis courts on tournament days; and special offers on spa treatments, dining and our prize-giving ceremony/gala dinner.

Categories ITF Seniors (Category 2) Men’s: Over 35, Over 40, Over 45, Over 50, Over 55, Over 60, Over 65, Over 70 and Over 75. Singles, doubles and mixed doubles Ladies’: Over 35, Over 40, Over 45, Over 50, Over 55, Over 60 and Over 65. Singles, doubles and mixed doubles

Private villa rentals also available through La Manga Club Ofﬁcial Property Rentals at lamangaclub.com

Up to

30% OF F

ofﬁcial accomm booked odation before 31st Oc tober Pro mo Cod

e LMCO

PEN13

La Manga Club | Murcia | Spain • Tel: +34 968 17 5577 • reservas@lamangaclub.com • lamangaclub.com Ofﬁcial accommodation: lamangaclub.com Promo code LMCOPEN13

BTQ Europe tennis Ad_130820.indd 1

Tournament entry: itftennis.com/seniors

20/08/2013 10:58

ADVERTORIAL

SunShine, Clay and CoaChing – the perfect combination

As the cold, dark, UK nights start to draw in, outdoor training may not be top of everyone’s to-do list. But that’s where La Manga Club in Spain comes in...

a Manga Club in Spain may attract some of the UK and world’s top tennis players, but there is plenty for amateur clubs and players, too. Recent visitors to the resort’s 28-court tennis centre include the LTA Elite Team, the Russian Tennis Federation and South Africa’s world No.21 Kevin Anderson, but clubs and players of all levels are always made to feel welcome. Under the guidance of James Rose and Lorenzo Martínez,

the club offers a comprehensive coaching programme for complete beginners, children as young as four and adult improvers, as well as a pro academy that offers an intensive 17- or 27-hour programme for advanced junior players. For coaches thinking of organising an overseas training camp, but who are not quite sure how to go about it, help is on hand from the dedicated in-house organising team who will guide you through all the practicalities, from the moment

you enquire until it’s time to go home. A choice of different types of accommodation means that virtually all budgets can be catered for, too. For many players, one of the best things about tennis at La Manga Club is the great social programme, with fve friendly tournaments organised each week, plus weekly exhibition matches, featuring visiting pros and celebrities when available. During the summer, the programme is busier still with children’s activities, barbecues and more.

“I and the whole British Tennis team have really enjoyed our training block at La Manga. The team at La Manga Club could not have been more helpful and accommodating. What a great facility and time we have had” former british no.1 GreG rusedski

Key Facts Location:

La Manga Club, Spain

courts:

28 (20 clay, four hard, four artificial grass)

When’s the best time to visit:

Any time of year, although the mild winter weather means it’s perfect for playing and training outdoors even when it’s impossible at home

coaching:

Three adult programmes, pro academy for high-standard players aged nine to 19 and junior academy for six different age groups (four to 19 years)

Where to stay:

Four-star Las Lomas Village (sports village-style apartments) or five-star Hotel Principe Felipe. Both offer special deals for British Tennis Members

Web:

tennis.lamangaclub.com

contact:

Sports Sales on 0034 968 33 1234 or sales@lamangaclub.com www.lta.org.uk

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AuTumn 2013

25/10/2013 11:37

FEATURE

With the LTA’s mission to help more people play tennis more often, increasing participation is certainly a priority. With the courts, the people and the organisations to support already in place, the UK Armed Forces are a great place to play tennis. BTQ ﬁnds out why…

BRITISH TENNIS QUARTERLY

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Like us on facebook.com/britishtennislta

www.lta.org.uk

29/10/2013 12:18

FEATURE

THE ROYAL NAVY

LEADING ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN SCOTT NICHOLLS: HMS VICTORIOUS Leading engineering technician Scott Nicholls joined the Royal Navy in 2009. Coming from a very strong tennis background, he is currently the Navy and Combined Services’ No.1 player. Starting playing tennis at the age of six, he grew up through a performance programme in Scotland, reaching a player rating of 4.1 and becoming the Scottish No.1 in the 18U age group. As a junior, he also spent a period training full time at Match Ball Firenze tennis academy in Florence, Italy. At this time he considered becoming a full-time professional on the British and Futures circuit and spent some time coaching at both Western and Helensborough Tennis Clubs, as well as assisting with the national development programme for Scotland’s rising stars. However, having come from a maritime family, he ultimately decided to join the Royal Navy. After completing basic training in the south of England, he was posted to a submarine base in Scotland for further training before joining HMS Victorious – one of the four strategic nuclear-deterrent submarines. His responsibilities on board are primarily focused on maintenance of all the weapons and sensors ﬁtted to the submarine. Once at sea on patrol, the submarine and its crew will remain underwater, undetected and virtually out of touch with the outside world – most of the crew will not know exactly where the submarine’s patrol area is. Once away from base, the crew would not expect to return to dry land for any circumstance, no matter how critical or personal – let alone to play a tennis match for their service. Scott has represented the Royal Navy every year at the Inter Services “A” Championships and is very proud of his 8-2 win/loss record in both singles and doubles.

ith a captive audience of almost 150,000 fit, able and, for the most part, sports-loving members, the UK Armed Forces should be a treasure trove for UK tennis. The benefits the Armed Services can offer to the LTA and British Tennis are considerable, whether they are for players, officials, or even just as a source of usable courts. The Royal Navy, the Army, and the Royal Air Force offer a lot more to tennis than simply uniformed stewards at Wimbledon…

LIFE AS A TENNIS PLAYER IN THE ARMED FORCES

Sport in Britain’s three Armed Forces is thriving. It has long been acknowledged that physical ﬁtness is an essential component within any www.lta.org.uk

service as it enhances operational effectiveness by ensuring that the Army, Navy and Air Force are manned by ﬁt, motivated and committed men and women. Sport also fosters self-discipline, high morale, cohesion and competitiveness – all of which are part of the make-up of any successful military force. Because of this, the military is strongly committed to supporting sport and encouraging both participation and competition at the highest possible level. As one of only seven designated major sports in the services, tennis is at the forefront of this sporting thrust. Across the services, the standard of players in both the men’s and women’s game is high, and with great facilities, an excellent

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Leading engineering technician Scott Nicholls on court at Wimbledon AUTUMN 2013

25/10/2013 11:45

FEATURE

THE ARMY

WARRANT OFFICER JAMIE FRIEND: ROYAL LOGISTIC CORPS Warrant officer Jamie Friend serves in 158 (Royal Anglian) Transport Regiment Royal Logistics Corps (V). He has been in five postings since 2001, including twice moving to Germany and deploying on operations to Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan. Indeed, before moving to his current posting, he had gone 18 months without hitting a tennis ball due to pre-deployment training before spending seven months in Afghanistan. However, his current posting has offered Jamie the chance to concentrate on improving his tennis, with tangible results. After returning in late 2010, Jamie was posted to Ipswich for an attachment to the Army Reserves (formerly Territorial Army), where he joined a club and got back into his regular training regime. A chance meeting with former British women’s No.1 Elena Baltacha presented an opportunity to train with a top professional player and, as one training session led to another, soon he was lucky enough to become a regular hitting partner. During the 2012 season this training was valued by Elena to such a degree that she invited Jamie to join her as a training partner on tour whenever his work commitments permitted. The experience he gained through hitting with such a top player and travelling on the tour had a huge impact on his game, and the 2012 Army Tennis Championships finally became an event to remember. After many seasons of watching others collect the magnificent Army Men’s Open Singles trophy, which wouldn’t look out of place being presented at a Grand Slam final, he fulfilled his ambition and won the title. Jamie is working through the LTA coach qualifications while coaching part-time at Elena Baltacha’s Academy of Tennis at Ipswich Sports Club. This is with a view to a second career as a tennis coach when his 22 years of regular Army service is completed next year. But he is looking to remain involved in service tennis – he plans to remain eligible to represent the Army by immediately re-enlisting in the Army Reserve. organisational set-up and a mind-set conducive to competition and keeping fit, the UK’s Armed Forces are a great place to balance a demanding and highly interesting professional career with the opportunity to take to the court on a regular basis.

THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

All three services hold an annual championships each July, comprising a full week of tennis at Portsmouth (Royal Navy), Aldershot (Army) or Halton (Royal Air Force) before coming together to compete against each other at the Inter Services “A” Championships, held at the All England Club in early August. This event takes place over two full days and is played on the Wimbledon 26

BRITISH TENNIS QUARTERLY

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“Across the services, the standard of players is high” Championship courts, allowing the best players from each service to play against their counterparts, with service pride very much at stake. With all three services facing slightly different challenges in the way their players are able to train and practise, our three featured proﬁles provide some insight into the day-to-day routines and season-long difﬁculties some top players face.

The hallowed courts at Wimbledon play host to the Inter Services “A” Championships

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www.lta.org.uk

29/10/2013 12:18

FEATURE

THE ROYAL AIR FORCE SQUADRON LEADER DELIA CHADWICK: 10 SQUADRON The 2013 RAF ladies’ champion and No.1 player has quite a different challenge to face when it comes to practice and fitness training for the tennis season. Squadron leader Delia Chadwick is currently one of a select few fortunate enough to fly what, for the moment, is the newest aircraft in the RAF’s inventory, the Voyager KC2/3, based at RAF Brize Norton. Delia joined the RAF in 1996 and was already an accomplished tennis player, having represented both her school and local club as a junior. After completing her flying training at RAF Cranwell she was initially posted to the VC10 and began her frontline training.

passengers deploying to Afghanistan, or holding very short-notice standby duties at Brize Norton to provide an air-to-air refuelling capability to the country’s Quick Reaction Alert ﬁghter aircraft, ensures that the standard “train in the morning, hit in the afternoon” timetable is not easy to follow.

However, 2013 is her ﬁrst year as RAF champion, securing the title by beating squadron leader Kate Frayling, a search and rescue helicopter pilot based at RAF Boulmer, in the ﬁnal.

Although home based, and generally deploying for no more than a week at a time, the schedule and workload of the Voyager means that Delia must be ﬂexible in her training regime. Getting up at 2.30am to “crew in” for a mission to the Gulf, carrying Follow us on Twitter @BritishTennis

NEW_24-27_Military tennis ga REPRO.indd 27

The Tennis Foundation has been working with the Armed Forces to offer tennis opportunities for servicemen and women who have been injured in the line of duty. Not only can tennis aid their recovery, but hopefully giving the sport a go will encourage them to have a longer-term involvement in the sport. Linking with rehabilitation centres for injured personnel around the country, the Tennis Foundation is working with a number of partners to establish programmes

based at various venues, including the rehabilitation centre at RAF Halton. Throughout 2013, a number of adaptive tennis taster sessions took place at Tedworth House, Catterick Personnel Recovery Centre, Delta Tennis Centre in Swindon and RAF Halton. The team is hoping to continue to organise similar events throughout 2014 so that people can see how easily tennis can be adapted to suit individual abilities, whether it’s using smaller courts to begin with or using a sports chair to whizz around the court. BTQ

Delia has been a regular in the RAF “A” team for many years and has been selected to represent Combined Services on several occasions.

Delia’s career has seen her serve on missions all around the world, including the Falkland Islands, the Persian Gulf, North America and the Far East although, unfortunately, she rarely has enough “ground time” to make it worthwhile taking her racket with her.

www.lta.org.uk

FRONT LINE TO START LINE

The Tennis Foundation is helping injured servicemen and women get involved in the sport

TENNIS IN THE UK MILITARY: QUICK FACTS ● There are three individual service LTAs: the Royal Navy, the Army and the Royal Air Force ● There are Service Championships that take place each year at regional tennis centres in Portsmouth, Aldershot and Halton ● Each service has full squads to support competitive ﬁxtures and offer regular coaching opportunities and events ● The squads have annual overseas training camps (this year, 26 Army players had two weeks in La Manga, Spain) and play in overseas tournaments ● The Inter-Service Championships is the main event of the year, with the B-grade Championships held on rotation at regional centres and the A-grade Championships held at the All England Club, Wimbledon. The men’s event was ﬁrst competed in 1920 and the winner’s trophy was presented to the services by the LTA.

AUTUMN 2013

29/10/2013 12:18

FEATURE

EVERYONE FOR TENNIS

There are lots of ways for people of all ages and abilities to play tennis. The LTA supports tennis venues and coaches across the country and offers fun and affordable tennis products to help get more people playing the game more often. Whether you are a player, coach or volunteer, ﬁnd out more about how these products can help you

LTA MINI TENNIS RALLY AWARDS THE PERFECT INTRO TO TENNIS

LTA Mini Tennis uses smaller courts, rackets and softer balls to make it easy for children between the ages of 3 and 10 years old to learn to play tennis.

WHAT ARE THE RALLY AWARDS?

The LTA Mini Tennis Rally Awards are a skill-based award scheme designed to help children learn key skills in stages and take part in exciting exercises with regular encouragement. They are ideal for players of all standards as they can advance through the levels at their own pace.

BRITISH TENNIS QUARTERLY

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HOW DO THE RALLY AWARDS WORK?

The Rally Awards are taught using the Mini Tennis progressions and concentrate on progressing skills in four key areas: rallying, serving, coming to the net, and scoring and competing. As they move through the Rally Awards children can receive stickers, certiﬁcates or badges to recognise their achievements.

WHY DELIVER THE RALLY AWARDS? ■

CHILDREN GET HOOKED ON PROGRESSING TO THE NEXT LEVEL

■

CHILDREN LOVE GETTING THEIR STICKERS, CERTIFICATES AND BADGES

■

PARENTS LOVE KNOWING THEIR CHILD IS IMPROVING

WHO CAN DELIVER THE RALLY AWARDS?

An accredited coach at Level 2 or higher can deliver the Rally Awards – all the info required is on the “coaches” tab of the Mini Tennis website. They are also covered in detail in the LTA workshop “Developing your programme – Mini Tennis”.

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www.lta.org.uk

29/10/2013 14:15

FEATURE

NATIONAL MINI TENNIS WEEK 2013 National Mini Tennis Week (NMTW), sponsored by Highland Spring, took place in schools, parks and tennis centres across the country from Monday 10 to Sunday 16 June. The largest NMTW 2013 festival was in Nottingham at the Aegon Challenge, where more than 2,500 local schoolchildren took part, most for the ﬁrst time. Activities also took place at the Aegon Trophy, Aegon Championships, Aegon Classic and Aegon International, with each child attending given a free racket. Locally, there were more than 65 NMTW ambassador tennis venues that delivered free tennis to local primary school children and hosted a free open session for them to attend, too. James Thomas, head coach at Letchworth LTC, said: “Being a NMTW ambassador really helped to promote our venue in the local area. The banners and posters were fantastic and caught people’s eyes, while the vouchers for £1 sessions were a great incentive for players to return. “It raised the proﬁle of the club in local schools and has had a real knock-on effect on sign-ups for the new term.”

www.lta.org.uk

WHAT COACHES SAID: “It was great to see so much fun being had by so many, many of whom had never played before.” “Great to see so many kids down here playing for free and having a great time.” “Establishing a dynamic and hopefully lasting working relationship with local schools has been rewarding and exciting.” “Fantastic to see so many children picking up a racket and having fun. A great advert for the game. The open day has resulted in new Mini members and a new after-school club. More children playing tennis is really good.” “Count us in for 2014! We had such a great response this year – over 100 kids on the day.” National Mini Tennis Month 2014 16 April – 22 May, more info coming soon... www.ltaminitennis.co.uk

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AUTUMN 2013

29/10/2013 14:15

feature

Cardio Tennis: Love FiTness If you’re a coach, why should you run cardIo TennIs sessIons?

■ It is perfect for attracting new players and is great for existing players. ■ Teaches you new skills.

Cardio Tennis is a fun, sociable group ftness class for people of all ages and abilities. Running Cardio Tennis classes as part of your programme can encourage new or lapsed players to pick up a racket and get back on court.

when To run your sessIons

To keep people coming back for more consider the following: ■ Make sure your sessions are relevant to the participants. Are they getting what they want from your sessions? If their goal is weight loss, consider running a calorie-burn chart and set some goals. ■ Keep your participants motivated. Heart-rate monitors can help, along with a variety of exercises, drills and games. ■ Don’t force non-members to join. Just because someone has come to a few Cardio Tennis sessions it doesn’t mean they are ready to join the club. ■ Offer incentives and regular rewards, such as a free Cardio Tennis session if they bring a friend.

BenefITs of BecomIng a cardIo TennIs InsTrucTor

■ Cardio Tennis adds variety to your programme and is fun to deliver. ■ Delivering Cardio Tennis can be proftable as you can get more people on court.

British tennis Quarterly

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If you don’t run your sessions at an appropriate time you will struggle to make them a success. Before planning the times of your sessions think carefully about your target audience. ■ Ensure you run your sessions at suitable times, such as after-work sessions, weekends and early mornings, to cater for a variety of audiences. ■ Try running your Cardio Tennis sessions alongside your junior programme to get parents involved. ■ Run more than one session a week at a variety of times to broaden your appeal. ■ Are there any local businesses you could offer Cardio Tennis to straight after work? ■ Identify local community or established sports groups to supplement their existing training programme.

supporT for you

You can fnd ideas for drills and games to keep your sessions fresh on the Cardio Tennis website. We now have new drill videos available – see www.lta.org.uk/BTQ for details. You can buy everything you need, from skipping ropes to heart-rate monitors, through the Cardio Tennis shop, with new equipment recently added – so take a look now!

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www.lta.org.uk

29/10/2013 11:15

Feature

tennis Xpress: Coming soon...

Comin g a ven to near yue o in 201 u 4

Whether you’re a complete beginner or looking to get back into tennis, Tennis Xpress will get you started quickly…

ennis Xpress is an easy, active and fun six-week coaching course for adults who want to learn how to play tennis. The course helps beginner adults to serve, rally and score from the frst session, ensuring that by the end of the

course all players will know the basic techniques, tactics and rules of tennis. The coach uses modifed tennis equipment (slower, softer, lower bouncing balls) to help players learn the game more quickly and enjoy success right from the frst session.

Are you A coAch? Who recommends Tennis Xpress? Tennis Xpress is recommended by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) as the best way to learn the game by providing coaches with an “of-the-shelf” adult beginner course complete with lesson plans and marketing materials.

Why should I deliver a Tennis Xpress course? Many adults want to learn tennis but are put of by a negative frst experience, usually not achieving success. Ofering Tennis Xpress courses will help you attract more adults to your programme and increase your income.

Do I need to be trained to deliver Tennis Xpress? No, you don’t need to be trained to deliver a Tennis Xpress course, but you have the option of being trained in Tennis Xpress through the “Developing your Programme for Adults” CPD workshop, which will be available soon.

“We’ve started to play doubles games for points and it’s really progressing the way I play. I had some great rallies and even gave some of my opponents a little bit of a runaround (I think)!” Participant

“Tennis Xpress is a fantastic new, fun, of-the-shelf tool that we can use to attract lots of new players… it’s exciting, it’s realistic and it’s absolutely perfect for getting more people into the game.” Coach

www.lta.org.uk

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autumn 2013

29/10/2013 11:15

FEATURE

0 0 5 , 7 e took peopl ross c part a ntry u o c the

THE VENUES

What better way to celebrate just how great tennis is in Britain than to host a Great British Tennis Weekend! And what a weekend it was…

he ﬁrst ever Great British Tennis Weekend took place in August as 39 venues across the country threw open their doors to welcome thousands of tennis fans onto their courts. The LTA worked with partners such as Sport England and Tennis for Free to offer tennis enthusiasts the chance to pick up a racket and play the sport completely free of charge for the weekend. One year on from the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the LTA wanted to continue to build on the legacy of London 2012, as well as Andy Murray’s historic Wimbledon win this summer, to continue the feel-good factor around tennis and get more people playing. Luckily, the sun shone for most of the weekend as people of all ages and abilities – from toddlers to grandparents – turned up at local venues and used the equipment provided to have a go at tennis for free. 32

BRITISH TENNIS QUARTERLY

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Some of Britain’s most famous tennis faces also threw their support behind the Great British Tennis Weekend, with former British No.1 Greg Rusedski making an appearance at The Pavilion Sports and Café in Haringey, and Fed Cup captain Judy Murray getting on court at Barrhead Community Tennis Club. Murray said: “There’s a huge buzz around our sport just now and offering tennis for free at local park courts across the country is the way forward.” Rusedski added: “It was a fantastic day and to see so many people getting on court and playing tennis was extremely pleasing. “People of all ages and abilities gave it a go and you could tell that they were all having a great time. I also had a great time, hitting with the locals and talking about tennis.” And after thousands of people the length and breadth of the country played tennis, some for the very ﬁrst time, the buzz around tennis in Britain was there for all to see. BTQ

1. Dawson Park, Dundee 2. Dunblane Tennis Club, Dunblane 3. Cowan Park, Barrhead 4. Meadows Park, Edinburgh 5. Exhibition Park, Newcastle Upon Tyne 6. Greenhead Park, Huddersfield 7. Chorlton Park, Manchester 8. Wyhtenshawe Park, Manchester 9. Harrison Park, Wirral 10. Sefton Park, Liverpool 11. Hillsborough Park, Sheffield 12. Bellevue Park, Wrexham 13. Bowring Park, Telford 14. Vernon Park, Nottingham 15. Gilbertstone Park, Birmingham 16. Pype Hayes Park, Birmingham 17. War Memorial Park, Coventry 18. Bedford Park, Bedford 19. Russell Park, Bedford 20. Verulamium Park, St Albans 21. Eaton Park, Norwich 22. Christchurch Park, Ipswich 23. Pavilion Sports and Café, Haringey 24. Lammas Park, Ealing 25. Abbotts Park, Waltham Forest 26. Beverley Park, New Malden 27. Joseph Hood Recreation Ground, Morden 28. Danson Park, Bexley 29. Churchfields Rec, Weybridge 30. Florence Park, Oxford 31. St Mark’s Park, Swindon 32. St Michael’s Park, Cirencester 33. Canford Park, Bristol 34. Devonport Park, Plymouth 35. Heavitree Park, Exeter 36. Milton Park, Portsmouth 37. Manor Park, Aldershot 38. Preston Park, Brighton 39. West Beach Tennis Courts, Whitstable

1 2 3

9 10 12

35 To see all the fun of the Great British Tennis Weekend, visit www.lta.org.uk/BTQ

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www.lta.org.uk

29/10/2013 12:19

FEATURE

CASE STUDY

WAR MEMORIAL PARK

6 9 10 7 8

12 13 15 16

14 21

18 19 30

37 36

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20 23

25 26 28 29 27

War Memorial Park in Coventry proved to be a hugely popular venue over the weekend as more than 1,100 session participants enjoyed the free tennis activities on offer. And while the activity organised on the day went down a storm, tennis development manager for Warwickshire Jayne Ashton believes the work done away from War Memorial Park in the run-up to the weekend was just as important. Various members of the Warwickshire LTA went to the nearby Broadgate shopping centre for the day to spread the word about the Great British Tennis Weekend, while Ashton was also interviewed on BBC Coventry and Warwickshire to encourage people along. She said: “We got more than 1,000 people to the park so all the work in the lead-up to the event certainly paid off. “For us it was all about getting out there and meeting the man on the street to speak face to face with them and engage them with tennis. “Getting a tennis racket in people’s hands makes a big difference and it was well worth the effort to head down to Broadgate to get people excited about the weekend.” The promotion clearly did its job as more than 400 turned up on the Saturday to take advantage of the offer. Word of mouth then took over as nearly 700 people arrived on the Sunday and got stuck into the fun, as children, parents and even grandparents picked up a racket. Ashton felt it wasn’t just those that visited War Memorial Park to play tennis who beneﬁted from the extravaganza. She felt it provided

the coaches with a good opportunity to develop new ideas, too. “I think it was really valuable for my coaches because it got them to do things in slightly different ways to what they are used to,” Ashton added. “With so many people of different ages and abilities turning up it was important to keep them all engaged and give them a ﬁrst experience they will never forget, so the coaches were really creative and made sure everyone was having fun.” And with so many people turning up over the weekend, Ashton believes an incredible year in British sport, and in particular tennis, is inspiring people to pick up a racket. Ashton said: “It was a great weekend and so exciting to see so many people enjoying tennis. Speaking to people it’s clear Andy Murray’s success is truly inspiring people to get on court. “If there’s anyone out there interested in playing tennis at War Memorial Park it is just £35 a year, so it’s extremely affordable.”

AUTUMN 2013

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FEATURE CASE STUDY

CANFORD PARK

Bristol’s Canford Park hosted tennis activity for two days and saw nearly 800 session participants come and pick up a racket for free in the glorious sunshine. From 11 o’clock on Saturday morning families started arriving in their droves, eager to get on court and play tennis at one of the various places set up around the park. Not only were there separate courts for adults and children, offering both Cardio Tennis and LTA Mini Tennis, but also a target wall and an area to measure serving speeds. To encourage some of the youngsters to pick up a racket there were mascots on hand to give them fun advice, tips and also to have a hit against them on court. There was also something for families with even younger children, as a special “play zone” alongside the tennis courts kept the smallest kids occupied. On both days the coaches present were emphasising the key word of the weekend – “fun” – with players of all ages and abilities being encouraged to not worry about where the ball was going but to play with a smile on their face throughout. And it wasn’t just children and parents who came along to the event, but grandparents as well – with the oldest person taking part in a Cardio Tennis

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session being an 81-year-old man, highlighting that tennis really is a sport that can be played by anyone. Many visitors to the park were unfamiliar with Cardio Tennis, but there was a great atmosphere with local tennis coach Peter Coniglio overseeing short but energetic half-hour sessions that were well received by all. The threatening rain clouds never materialised and as the hot weather continued all weekend, the courts remained jam-packed. Coniglio said: “It was just a fantastic weekend for all involved, and a fantastic advert for our sport. It’s been really encouraging for me to see so many people coming down for a few hours of tennis and having fun. “What was great was seeing whole families coming together to play at the same time, all picking up a racket and getting involved on different courts. “The Great British Tennis Weekend was a brilliant idea to bring people together and also a good opportunity for us to direct people to their local clubs to pick up where they left off at Canford Park.” Julie Jones, tennis development manager for Avon, added: “We were delighted at the success of the Great British Tennis Weekend in Canford Park and hopefully we will see many of these faces returning to venues across our local region.”

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feature

Keep your opti ns open

university

tennis The pathway to becoming a pro is notoriously tricky, with tennis and academic education diffcult to balance. One option is to combine the two with a tennis scholarship

aul Hutchins has a lot of experience of player pathways, being a former GB Davis Cup player and captain. The father of four children, including GB Davis Cup player Ross Hutchins, all of whom played to a high level as juniors, has also been head of UK men’s tennis on two occasions. Here, Hutchins examines the different pathway scenarios that players and parents fnd themselves in, and discusses why keeping your options open should be a more widely held view than it is at present. He also provides some top tips on how to go about making this decision and we hear from two pros who took the tennis scholarship route.

Why choose university tennis?

Taking your tennis and your education to a higher level can be tricky, especially if you 36

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are trying to do both at the same time. However, one of the best ways to combine the two is via a university tennis scholarship, either in the UK or in the US. University, whether in the US or Britain, offers a fantastic experience, new friendships, excellent training opportunities, good competition and a wide range of courses that can also be fexible in their delivery. So if you are passionate about tennis, and want to continue to play and train to a high standard alongside academic study, then university tennis could be the route for you. The decision to play full time on the men’s or women’s circuit, or to go into a tennis business or career, will be decided during the university period and the player must be well equipped to make these decisions depending on their standard, interests and ambition. BtQ Like us on facebook.com/britishtennislta

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Typical ScenarioS The player: n Has committed to tennis above all other sports n Plays a lot of tennis in order to improve rating and ranking n Has parents who are really supportive and have similar aspirations n Is based at some form of performance club or academy n Competes at national level with eyes on international standard n Along with their coach, always wants more time to compete and train n Has a school that is uncooperative and the player and their parent/s become concerned n Wants to do minimal education and concentrate on tennis n At 15 convinces their parents that they want to go full time and drop all education n Plays good junior tennis, even internationally n At 17 player realises that standards are tough and ceases to improve n Has given up education too early, so continues to play n Realises that it takes longer to mature physically and mentally n Finds life on the circuit lonely and expensive. Players and parents need to: n Be very honest in appraising the player’s standard and potential n Ensure the coach is being totally honest and understands international standards n Be very aware that if education is ceased too young the options are severely narrowed at 18 n Realise that time management is key and it is possible to combine education with playing n Realise that sustaining improvement levels is not a certainty as physical, mental, technical development and desire levels change n Understand that unless the player is internationally outstanding at, say, 17 (and I mean outstanding, i.e. at semi or fnal standard at junior Grand Slam level) there is no way of knowing if the player will move easily into the senior game for several years) www.lta.org.uk

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n Assess a player’s potential for the pro circuit, which

is best and more accurately done at 17-20 years of age when development levels are better known n Realise that the average age of a top 100 player is ever increasing, as is their maturity and retention. Too many players and parents:

n Rightly have very high aspirational levels but often

misjudge the high playing standards on the pro circuit. Honest assessment, remember! n Must understand it takes several years to get to a level of maturity where a player can handle a poor run of results, an injury time out or their best friends improving more than them n Often get too wrapped up with relying on their coach, the LTA or “the blame culture” n Have an “if only” attitude if things do not work out as speedily as expected. Players and parents need to:

n Enjoy the challenge of the various pathways – not

all layers are on a “performance pathway”

n Lower the stress levels sometimes communicated

to the sons or daughters

n Realise that 90% is the player’s ability, desire and

persistence level – coaching, sports science, and funding are important but are additional elements n Realise that players like Andy Murray and the Williams sisters, to name but a few, were on a different player pathway than 99% of players when they were young. With these points in mind, keep your options open – which means: n Good family discussions as early as 13 to 14 on the importance of keeping options open n For players to stay in education up to at least GCSE level and higher exams, if college or university becomes a reality n For parents to research both US college and UK university options early n To realise that by continuing with education it keeps the player more focused and teaches them time management. autumn 2013

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feature

US vs UK US colleges: n Have more than 200 UK players, boys and girls, at college n More girls’ scholarships are available than boys’ at all levels of player rating, from approximately division 6 for girls and 5 for boys – the better the college and scholarship, the higher the rating required n The National Collegiate Athletic Association states that a student must sign up to a college within six months of fnishing education n There is plenty of advice available from the LTA website and outside organisations n Maturing in college is often preferable to maturing on the pro circuit n Maturity levels are high from players returning to the UK from a US college. UK universities: n Five to six key universities offer good on-site tennis links with LTA High Performance Centres n More universities now have a tennis programme n Give students the ability to play more tournaments, such as British Tour and Pro Series n The scheduling of matches by British Universities & Colleges Sport is improving. For more on US and UK colleges and universities, visit www.lta.org.uk/BTQ

oTher TenniS opTionS aT UK UniverSiTieS The Tennis Foundation and LTA support both performance and community programmes at universities. With fnance available in the form of Development Awards, universities can now help increase participation by setting up leagues, Cardio Tennis programmes and even train students to coach the local community. Alistair Higham, universities manager at the Tennis Foundation, thinks they’re onto a winner: “We allow universities to apply for funding from the Development Awards for what they feel would most beneft their programmes. “A great example is the University of Portsmouth, which is paying for four students to gain their coaching qualifcations. In return, those students will do a certain number of hours’ coaching at the university for free. “It’s an ‘everybody wins’ scenario. We like this kind of forward thinking as they are building for the future.” With 44 new university courts (33 outdoor and 11 indoor) since 2009, and more in the pipeline, university tennis is on the rise.

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The view from UniverSiTy ScholarS… “College tennis was a fantastic experience for me. The coaches worked me extremely hard and showed such dedication in helping me achieve my goals, even now after graduation. I learned to compete hard no matter what, and with a great education I now have a back-up plan if my tennis career doesn’t go the way I want it to. Defnitely the best decision of my life.” Dom Inglot, British doubles player, world No.32 “I had an incredible experience at American university. Without it I would never have given myself enough time to develop physically, mentally and emotionally for the pro Tour. Due to the disciplined nature of college, I learned to work hard and manage my time so that I would one day be successful. My business degree helped me build my own company, called Tennis Smart (www.tennissmart.net), which helps countless British players forge their own path to America and hopefully beyond.” Sarah Borwell, former British No.1 doubles player “College tennis gave me four years to develop from juniors to the senior game. Physically, technically and mentally I was able to develop while also gaining a great education. Anything that I needed was always available and when I look back at my career in the future I will certainly say that going to college was one of my best decisions.” Neal Skupski, British doubles player, world No.114 For more information and to hear Paul Hutchins speak about this subject, please visit: www.lta.org.uk/playersparents/tennis-and-university

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THE WINNING LOOK

Nike Premier RF Polo – Teal Tint £47.99 Tipped with a gold collar and designed for total comfort and targeted breathability, this stylish polo will be Roger Federer’s shirt for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

THE AUTUMN/WINTER SEASON OFFERS SOME GREAT KIT FOR BUDDING PLAYERS TO EMULATE THEIR HEROES – CHECK OUT WHAT THE PROS WILL BE WEARING AND GET SOME FOR YOURSELF AT WWW.TENNIS.NET PWP is the LTA’s new online retail partner, providing a comprehensive and cutting-edge new website for the tennis community. So, if you’re looking for some new clothing or equipment then check out the British Tennis online shop today at www.tennis.net. Plus, all British Tennis Members receive a 10% discount until the end of October. Use the discount code AUTUMN at the checkout.

Nike Air Max Court Ballistec 4.3 – Volt/Brave Blue £94.99 Rafael Nadal’s shoe for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at The O2, this stylish footwear combines top-notch cushioning, support and durability for peak performance, whatever your surface of play. The Ballistec shoe has developed a well-earned reputation as one of the most durable tennis shoes on the market.

Dri-FIT fabric to wick sweat away and keep you dry and comfortable on court. Seamless construction for supreme comfort with no chaﬁng. Contrast collar and three-button placket for classic, elegant style.

Nike Tech Fleece Hoody – Raspberry Red £69.99 As we move into winter, this extra layer will keep you warm on those colder days. Designed for optimum tennis functionality. Multi-panel hood that zips up to the chin for protection from the elements. Raglan sleeves with thumbholes at the cuffs for ultimate warmth. Elastic cuffs and hem for a snug, comfortable ﬁt.

Superb cushioning and protection. Lunarlon cushioning in the forefoot offers plush yet responsive shock absorption, and visible Max Air in the heel delivers maximum impact protection. Lightweight mesh upper provides breathability and a supportive ﬁt. Drag-On 2x on the front of the upper encases the mesh and adds durability with ﬂexibility and support. Incredibly durable outsole in a mix of patterns for traction on multiple surfaces.

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Nike Victory Power Skort – Raspberry Red £29.99 The Power Skort is one of the most popular tennis skorts of all time, and this winter it’s available in a beautifully striking new raspberry colourway. Dri-FIT fabric to keep you dry and comfortable. Built-in compression shorts for comfort and support. Flat-stretch waist for a snug ﬁt that stays in place.

Babolat Syntec Pro Replacement Grip £6.99 If there’s one thing that’s vital to all us tennis players, it’s a good grip. Supplied on all of Babolat’s Aeropro and Pure Drive range of rackets, the Syntec Pro grip has a smooth, ﬁrm, tacky feel, and is 25% more absorbent than a standard grip.

WIN !

Babolat Gold Tennis Balls £15.99 per doz Due to a combination of superb playability and great value, this tennis ball has now become a ﬁrm favourite in the UK. Equally at home on all court surfaces, this ball is ITF-approved and suitable for both match and club play.

Babolat Aeropro Drive GT £161.50 This racket has become a legend in its own right after being used by players at clubs nationwide, as well as by a certain Rafael Nadal. Featuring a special sculpted frame shape, the Aeropro Drive has been designed by Babolat to let you hit with ripping spin. It uses Babolat’s Cortex Expert dampening system, which ﬁlters out unnecessary and harmful vibrations, but still gives you the right sensations for great feel. Despite being used by pros, including Nadal and French No.1 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, this frame is still accessible to most club players and is now one of the most popular rackets of all time.

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To be in w a of th £25 vouc ith a cha is favou great k her to pu nce of w in it t rite f eatu simply towards ning One t re ha s s beeell us wh ome be re lucky w n in p at yo dee inn ast B ur PWP, med at t er will re TQs. ce h on N ike a e LTA onli ive a £25 nd B abolane shop, voucher To en p t t pro ter v duct owered bo isit w The c s only y ww.lt losin . a.org g d .uk/B will r ate is T a Q 9 Com ndom p ly Dec are li etition t select ember wh o e sted on thrms and ne winneen we c r. e www .lta.o BTQ webonditions rg.uk p /BTQ age at

Babolat Aero 6-Racket Bag £54.99 Designed to perfectly match Babolat’s Aeropro range of rackets, the Aero series is the range of luggage used by Rafael Nadal. Double shoulder straps for easy carrying on your back. Strategically padded protection for contents. Two main compartments, but with handy extra compartments for all those bits and bobs.

AUTUMN 2013

25/10/2013 12:10

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JUDY Y

SPEAKS

ou learn something new every day. And on 7 July this year I learned that the Wimbledon Champions’ Ball isn’t a ball. I was quite looking forward to dancing the first waltz with Dr Bartoli, but it wasn’t to be. There was no dancing and no music. I think Dr B was rather relieved... I was rather disappointed. There I was in my beautiful Jenny Packham dress. Sequinned, sparkling and borrowed. That’s another thing I learned that day. The champions (and their entourages) are suited, booted and generally glammed up in the All England Club locker rooms, which are transformed from player changing areas into Aladdin’s caves of designer outfits, accessories and stylists. You just pick whatever you fancy. The only drawback is you have to give it all back. I’ve often wished during my rather long tennis parenthood that there had been someone who could have prepared me for all the things I needed to know along the way, and for the new situations I’d find myself in. Red Carpet Land was one of

“There I was in my beautiful Jenny Packham dress. Sequinned, sparkling and borrowed” 42

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Judy Murray, the world’s most famous tennis mum, discusses how parents need to adapt and nurture their kids. Hitting balls is often the easy part, but what happens off the court is equally as important

those new situations. I got out of the Wimbledon car at the InterContinental on London’s Park Lane and started to walk towards a sign that said “Ballroom”. Pretty obvious, you might think. Er, no. A security guard stopped me at the door and said: “I’m sorry, Mrs Murray, you’re going the wrong way.” Marvellous. Now I’ve got to turn around and walk the red carpet again with the crowd and all the snappers knowing I’ve boobed. Bright side? I didn’t trip. My reason for telling you all this is not to make you jealous or to make you laugh – although hopefully it did both – but to make the point that, as a tennis parent, I’m still learning new things and having to adapt to new situations. It’s been like that since the boys started showing some potential at age seven or so. In individual sports there is way more onus on parents to make things happen for their kids. Team sports will provide club training sessions and ﬁxture lists. They are also less demanding on your credit card. My point here is that parents need a lot of support and education through the various stages of the junior tennis pathway, and even more so, should their kids try to negotiate the transition to the full-time circuit. Of course, you need to learn different things at different stages,

but if your kids are heading for a pro career it’s important that you understand the demands of the life of a pro player so that you can help to prepare them for that. Hitting balls is the easy part. Living the life and dealing with all the off-court activities is a lot tougher. Many kids (and parents) struggle to cope with the day-to-day grind of coordinating training, competition, travel and budgets – and that’s before you start having to handle sponsors, agents and the media. So it’s important that we have a coaching workforce that understands the demands of the ATP and WTA Tours, and the life of a pro player so that our most promising juniors – and their parents – can be prepared for everything that they are likely to face. That’s why we brought our ﬁrst tour coaches’ workshop to the National Tennis Centre (together with the ATP) at the end of October, with presenters from all walks of a tennis pro’s life and a backstage tour of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at The O2. Educating the educators. It’s the way forward. BTQ DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT JUDY’S LATEST BLOGS – VISIT WWW.LTA.ORG.UK/BTQ TO SEE WHAT SHE’S BEEN UP TO RECENTLY

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AUTUMN 2013

25/10/2013 12:11

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CO A CH IN G CO R N ER

MILLION WITH MORE THAN 33 FACEBOOK AND SOME USERS IN 15 MILLION TWITTER THE UK, SOCIAL MEDIA YOUR GET TO IS GREAT E, WE MESSAGE HEARD. HER DO FIND OUT WHAT YOU CANFILE TO BOOST YOUR PRO

DO...

■ Be interesting and relevant Ð the more you can provide, the better your odds of ensuring your content is shared. ■ Be interested, not just interesting Ð share other peopleÕs stories, like and comment on their news feeds. ■ Use multimedia Ð use image or video-based content

whenever possible.

■ Ask people to share, comment, like, retweet, sign up

for your newsletter, visit your website etc.

■ Grow your network Ð add all contacts you meet in real

life and send them a greetings message.

■ On Twitter, use hashtags to contextualise

your conversation and connect with others discussing the same topics.

DON’T... E

ver wondered how you can promote the programme you run at your club or park? With the rise of social media, Facebook and Twitter are great assets and can help you to: ■ develop an engaged online community that will share and support your content ■ reach both a regional and national audience with your messages and activity updates ■ efﬁciently create real-time engagement with a wide range of customers and contacts.

NEW WORKSHOP The LTA has recently launched a new Safety and Wellbeing in Tennis workshop (formerly the Safeguarding Children in Tennis workshop), and from January 2014 this training will be mandatory for all accredited coaches to have completed when renewing their accreditation. Courses will remain valid for three years and are available to book through the online course search. See www.lta.org.uk/BTQ for details.

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■ Make spelling mistakes Ð use spellcheck. ■ Be offensive or post in bad taste Ð you can be

opinionated without being rude. ■ Talk only about yourself.

■ Fail to acknowledge when people interact

with you.

■ Sell, sell, sell Ð if you are just pushing your events it

may turn people off.

■ Get too familiar Ð you can be social without

providing too much information.

■ Get into contentious or political

conversations.

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25/10/2013 12:12

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TWITTER

Facebook is The world’s largesT social neTwork. mosT oF your players, Fellow coaches and poTenTial cusTomers will be on Facebook, so be on iT, Too, iF you wanT To inTeracT and engage wiTh Them direcTly.

TwiTTer provides an opporTuniTy To engage people wiThin The coaching world, as well as promoTe whaT you are doing. your conTenT is shared.

USING TWITTER SIGNING Up

Creating a Twitter account couldn’t be easier. Got to www.twitter.com, click on the “sign up” box and fll in your details. Next, you must decide on a unique username that will be your identifer and used by your followers to send you messages.

FolloWING aNd FolloWERS

Follow local sports clubs, famous fgures in tennis, local teaching associations and schools, and local events feeds and newspapers. If someone follows you, there’s no requirement to follow them.

GET TWEETING

Promote your coaching and reply to people – this is your opportunity to create a voice and increase the awareness of your coaching to a wide range of people. Remember when tweeting that a tweet is immediately public – if you’re tweeting on behalf of your organisation, be wary of controversial issues. A good rule of thumb is to only post Twitter content that you would be comfortable seeing on the front page of your local newspaper.

Top TIp Interact wIth @BritishTennis and @TennisFndation to share your actIvIty, where approprIate, and they’ll recIprocate

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USEFUl TWITTER laNGUaGE Tweet: A 140-character message. Retweet (RT): Sharing someone else’s tweet that might be of interest to your followers. This should be thought of as quoting someone or citing a source. Handle: Your username. Mention (@): A way to reference another user by their username in a tweet (e.g. @BritishTennis). Users are notifed when @mentioned. Direct message (DM): A private, 140-character message between two people. You may only DM a user who follows you. Hashtag (#): A way to denote a topic of conversation or participate in a larger linked discussion (e.g. #TennisIs). A hashtag is a discovery tool that allows others to fnd your tweets, based on topics.

IN SUmmaRy USE IT Get involved and see what all the fuss is about. See how it works, look for opportunities, follow your friends, follow those who you fnd compelling/ entertaining. Promote yourself and your programme to a wider audience. LISTEN Listen to what other people are saying – see what you like and what you don’t like, see what you think works and what you think doesn’t work. This will help you get a feel for Twitter and help you fnd your voice. It will also give you ideas on how to promote your programme.

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FACEBOOK BUIldING yoUR FacEBook aUdIENcE

As a starting point make sure you like the British Tennis Facebook page and have a look at what others are doing in terms of interaction and what has worked and what hasn’t.

WhaT ShoUld I Talk aBoUT oN my FacEBook paGE?

Here are just some things to think about when posting on Facebook: n Promotion of upcoming programmes and events, or highlight lessons you have held or your players’ success. n Always look to make the content relevant to your area and fan base. n Post rich media, including images and videos – posts with images tend to generate more interaction and engagement than text-only updates. n Shorter posts generally get more interaction – while you’re not limited to 140 characters like on Twitter, it is still advisable to keep your Facebook posts relatively short as these are proven to be more engaging. n Invite interaction and discussion within your Facebook community.

post content per week and try and stick to it to ensure you are providing your fans with a consistent and relevant experience. n Remember that when you say something on Facebook, it is public. So make sure you represent yourself and your company in the appropriate manner at all times.

FacEBook BaSIcS n You create a Facebook page for your club/venue. n People “Like” your page to become fans. n You post content updates – events/news/features/photos. n Fans see these updates in their news feed. n Fans can like and share your posts with their friends. n You can respond to your fans’ posts and comments directly on the page. For further advice and video tutorials visit the BTQ webpage, www.lta.org.uk/BTQ

aSk qUESTIoNS – ENcoURaGE pEoplE To Talk To yoU n Like Twitter, it is better to have a smaller number of people liking your page who are interacting with you, rather than lots who are not. n Agree a feasible number of times to autumn 2013

25/10/2013 12:12

insider

Tennis wellbeing & fiTness BTQ caught up with the LTA’s research and development manager, Max De Vylder, and three of his colleagues, performance analysis researchers Charlotte Connon, Gordon Howarth and Gareth Knight, to fnd out more about the team’s work

he world of performance analysis in sport has come a long way in recent years. Advances in technology, including the introduction of systems such as Hawk-Eye, now mean that this highly scientifc feld is regarded as critical to the development of the game’s elite players. When asked what were the major changes he had seen in the past decade, Max De Vylder, the LTA’s research and development manager, puts it very clearly. “Now we have a team dedicated to this; 10 years ago we just didn’t exist.” Max adds: “The busiest time of the year is the grass court tournament season, culminating in the three weeks of The Championships, Wimbledon. At the qualifers in Roehampton, and the two weeks at the All England Club across singles, doubles and the wheelchair events, we recorded many matches and collated a lot of data. “We record not only our own players’ performance for training purposes, but, crucially, we will also be looking further into the draw at their next opponents and working with their coaches to help them prepare for the next match.” 46

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Performance analysis researcher Gareth Knight outlines the scale of the team’s operation during the famous tournament. “We have an offce, which is set up underneath Court 1, that we kit out with various screens, computers and recording hardware. It’s a real hive of activity. “For every point in a match we will be recording what we call 14 key variables from both players during the rally – these include frst-serve percentage, which side of the court returns are placed, rally length and on which stroke players are making most errors. This information is then translated into charts and diagrams that can greatly assist the coach and player in their assessment and preparation for their next opponent.” Fellow performance analysis researcher Charlotte Connon points out that while this time at the world’s most prestigious tournament is a real highlight in their calendar, much of the team’s work is spent with the next generation of players at tournaments, training camps and talent identifcation days around the country. “We run similar operations on a smaller scale at the Junior National

High-tech systems are used at the National Tennis Centre to monitor player performance

Championships and other key tournaments in the calendar,” she says. “Here, we will be recording matches that are then uploaded to the player’s own area on the LTA website. This gives them the opportunity to review their performance and work with their coaches on specifc areas of their game.” The team recorded more than 200 matches across four age groups at this summer’s Junior National Championships. The work with young players doesn’t stop there. Talent identifcation days are run on a national and regional basis, and allow players to be assessed and monitored from the age of eight onwards. At these days a player’s ftness, agility, coordination, technique, matchplay, determination and attitude are all monitored using a variety of tests and game scenarios. The performance analysis team works very

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29/10/2013 12:26

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player planner app The Player Planner app, launched by the LTA earlier this year, allows junior players and their coaches to track development at the touch of a button, as well as organise tennis activities, input match results and review progress through graphical reporting. It works offine so players can update their information wherever they are, and coaches have data at their fngertips, even on court. Already being used by the country’s best players and elite performance coaches, Player Planner is available to download right now from the iTunes store – and the good news is that it is totally free.

closely with the talent team to record this performance, then relay this information to the players involved. Charlotte has been highly involved in this process, and with the rest of the team produced nearly 800 packages for those that attended a talent identifcation day. “It’s great to work with the young players,” she says. “There are so many really talented youngsters in the www.lta.org.uk

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country and the work we do with them alongside the talent team can really help them identify goals they can work on in the long term to progress their game.” Back at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton, the team is often found in the performance suite producing video packages for players based at the centre. “When a player arrives here for a training block, which

sometimes lasts up to fve weeks, the coach will use the video analysis we create to assess not only areas of improvement, but also to show progress,” Gareth explains. “Using side-by-side images we can put together ‘pre and post’ training footage of the player to show that development has been made. It is really useful for training pointers that need a lot of accuracy, such as working on the contact point of a player’s forehand.” Colleague Gordon Howarth goes on to give a deeper insight into the use of more high-tech systems available to players. “Hawk-Eye technology has been around for a long time in sport and will be very familiar from the line-call appeal system in major tennis tournaments. We have Hawk-Eye set up on one of the indoor courts and use it to accurately track the ball’s movement

during a stroke. This is especially useful when analysing a serving technique, as you can track the ball right from the toss to spot areas of weakness and where improvements can be made.” Max demonstrates how closely his team works with others involved in performance support. “While the coach will want to see the technical or tactical parts of the player’s game that need development, the strength and conditioning coach will want to look at any physical weaknesses that need addressing. Setting up sprint drills and catching the player’s performance could identify a weaker leg from which the player accelerates, which in turn may dictate a programme of exercises aimed at addressing that.” With this level of detail and breadth of coverage, it is not surprising that Max speaks highly of his team and the work it produces. “The support we deliver to our players is of a very high standard. I think a talented British junior player, wherever they are based, will receive a standard of support from our team that is world-leading. There aren’t many other countries providing this level of support, but the way we tie it in with their online profles, and the innovative ways they can access the data, really is top level. The Player Planner app [see box, left] is a great example of this. It allows players to upload and access information wherever they are playing or training.” Remembering her own playing days, Charlotte says: “All of the technology we use here is fantastic, but performance analysis can be done by anyone using a pencil and a piece of paper. My mum would use a very simple system of drawing a line for every point across a piece of graph paper – going up, for a point I won, and down for every one I lost. This is a great and very simple way of tracking the momentum in a match. Adding notes to these lines can give you a pretty comprehensive analysis of your performance.” BTQ For more information on the topics covered here go to the BTQ webpage at www.lta.org.uk/BTQ

AUTUMN 2013

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INSIDER

NIKE JUNIOR TOUR 2013

UK WINNERS ARE ANNOUNCED… The Nike Junior Tour (NJT) is a global competition at 12U and 14U level, with more than 60,000 players from 34 countries taking part each year. We look at the four players who have topped the NJT leaderboard in the UK and been invited to the International Masters in Florida this December

he Nike Junior Tour (NJT) drew to a close in August. Well done to all the players who competed this year and a big thank you to the Grade 2 venues that supported the competition. In Great Britain, this year’s NJT ran across the ﬁve Grade 2 Summer National Tour events, as well as the two Grade 1 competitions: the Aegon Clay Court Championships and the Aegon British Junior National Championships. The top performing players in the domestic NJT tournaments are invited to compete at the NJT International Masters, currently held in Club Med Sandpiper Bay, Florida in December.

Congratulations to Ola Pitak (12U), Jack Draper (12U), Lauryn John-Baptiste (14U) and Max Stewart (14U) who came top of the Nike Junior Tour leaderboard after their performances throughout the season. These four players – and Gemma Heath – have been invited to the Masters, where they will have the chance to compete against the top players in their age group from around the world. Previous participants of the event include Tomas Berdych, Juan Martin del Potro and Lucie Safarova, while a previous winner is Rafael Nadal. We wish them all the very best at this event and are sure they will do GB proud. BTQ

“It was one of my main goals for 2013 to come top of the Nike Junior Tour leaderboard. I was very privileged to be part of Team GB last year and had an amazing experience in Sandpiper, competing against the best players in the world. This year’s qualiﬁcation was really tough as there are so many great players in my 12U age group. I had to play some tough tennis throughout the summer and look forward to joining the others in December.” Jack Draper, 12U boys’ winner

“I’ve enjoyed my experience very much. These competitions have been tough going and brought out the best in every player. The Nike Junior Tour is always something to look forward to, because of its ability to bring top tennis to these events. I am so excited to be able to compete in the NJT International Masters and I’m looking to do really well.” Lauryn John-Baptiste, 14U girls’ winner

BRITISH TENNIS QUARTERLY

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29/10/2013 12:29

INSIDER

NIkE JUNIOR TOUR TOURNAMENT WINNERS 2013 12U GIRLS’ WINNER

12U BOYS’ WINNER

14U GIRLS’ WINNER

14U BOYS’ WINNER

NOTTS JUNIOR OPEN

Gemma Heath

Jack Draper

Ellie-Rose Griffths

Finn Bass

SUTTON TENNIS ACADEMY

Gemma Heath

Anton Matusevich

Megan Davies

Joe Tyler

AEGON CLAY COURT CHAMPIONSHIPS

Ola Pitak

Jack Draper

Jodie Burrage

Max Stewart

SCOTTISH JUNIOR OPEN

Ola Pitak

Jacob Fearnley

Lauryn John-Baptiste

Mohamed Abdel-Aziz

Lauren Armstrong

Anton Matusevich

Eleanor Millard

Ben Draper

Ola Pitak

Jack Draper

Lauryn John-Baptiste

Kerim Bilgin

Kira Reuter

Jacob Fearnley

Lauryn John-Baptiste

Max Stewart

16TH TEAMBATH COMPETE OPEN TENNIS FESTIVAL SHEFFIELD JUNIOR OPEN AEGON BRITISH JUNIOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN THE NIkE JUNIOR TOUR?

The Nike Junior Tour will return in 2014 with venues and dates being confrmed towards the end of 2013. Check the website for more information, www.lta.org.uk/NJT www.lta.org.uk

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autumn 2013

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INSIDER

Ward, we have a great crop of potential champions coming through. It’s a hugely exciting time for tennis.

Q&A WITH BORIS JOHNSON, MAYOR OF LONDON

London Mayor Boris Johnson on his love for tennis and why top-quality sport is essential in showcasing the capital

e’s been seen shooting basketball trick shots on the South Bank, playing cricket on the beach in India and is clearly king of the bicycle. But what about tennis? Well, not only is he a fan, but he’s pretty nifty with a racket, too, as we found out this summer during the Aegon Championships at The Queen’s Club. As Mayor of London, Boris Johnson knows only too well that we have a great stage for international sport. After all, London is the home to two of the leading tennis events in the world – not only the oldest and most historic (The Championships, Wimbledon), but also one of the most popular and commercially successful (Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at The O2). London is crucial to British Tennis success, with almost a quarter of the people playing tennis in England on a weekly basis doing so in the capital. And with around 1,500 park courts and nearly 300 clubs across London, it’s easier than you might think to find a court – see www.allplaytennis.com to find your nearest one. Not only has Boris got the launch of the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in 2014 to look forward to, he’s also helped secure the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters for three years. We caught up with Boris to find out just how important tennis is to him and how he sees our capital city playing its part. BTQ

Boris Johnson and a few famous friends show their support for Ross Hutchins (centre) at The Queen’s Club. Opposite page: Boris with doubles partner Andy Murray 50

BRITISH TENNIS QUARTERLY

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What have been your experiences in tennis? Tennis is a great hobby of mine. I play regularly and have done for many years although, as anyone who saw me take part in a charity set at Queen’s earlier this year will know, I am still working on some of the ﬁner points of my game. I am also an avid watcher of live tennis and we are, of course, extremely fortunate in London on that score. This year has been very special, with Andy Murray’s heroic victory at Wimbledon and Great Britain returning to the Davis Cup World Group. With talented players like Laura Robson, Dan Evans, Elena Baltacha and James

How important is people’s access to sport in your future priorities? Ensuring more Londoners get involved in sport is a top priority for me. One of the ﬁrst steps I took after being elected Mayor in 2008 was to appoint Kate Hoey as my sports commissioner. I asked her to spearhead a sports legacy programme with the aim to harness the excitement of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, particularly among younger Londoners. To date, we have invested more than £16 million in grassroots sports, with a further £6 million to come. This has funded an extraordinary range of good causes, including 77 sports facilities, while also providing training for 13,000 coaches and ofﬁcials across numerous sports. What are your plans to grow sports participation in London? In addition to providing grants for sports projects, my team at City Hall works with all the various organisations involved in sport to encourage greater collaboration and to champion sport generally in the capital. As part of this, I am extremely supportive of the work being done by the LTA and the Tennis Foundation to grow the game. We also have an extraordinary series of major sports events heading to London in the coming years, many set to use former Olympic venues and all with the potential to inspire further grassroots uptake. How important are major tennis events to London? Major global sporting events such as Wimbledon and the ATP World Tour Finals are thrilling

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29/10/2013 12:31

INSIDER spectacles, but also fantastic advertisements for London, injecting millions of pounds into our economy. Whether it’s Premier League football, cricket, swimming, cycling or rugby, we know our city has all the ingredients to deliver a worldclass experience. I am also keen to establish new sporting classics. The inaugural Prudential RideLondon festival took place this year and has already established itself as one of the greatest cycling events in the world. It was a sensational weekend for cycling and for sport generally in this city. It has a huge future – in the four weeks since the ballot opened for next year’s RideLondon, 80,000 people have already registered to take part. Volunteers are the lifeblood of tennis, so how are you using the spirit of volunteering captured in 2012? The army of Olympic and Paralympic Games volunteers played an incredible role in making summer 2012 an extraordinary success. The spirit of volunteering is continuing to blaze brightly. People want to do something great for their city and we want to encourage them. There are loads of people who are getting involved with Team London in all sorts of things. We have already helped more than 6,000 of our pink and magenta magicians to help out at large London events, providing a warm and friendly welcome. Local sports clubs and community groups rely heavily on hard-working volunteers to keep going. This is something I am determined to champion and I’d encourage people to check out the Team London website (volunteerteam.london.gov.uk) and do something great for our city today. www.lta.org.uk

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Autumn 2013

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