Why is Ireland so crap at producing tennis players?

estebancambias · 08-06-2008 02:25PM #1

Discuss.

Weather(shouldn't be), bad coaching, just plain lack of talent?

GBX · 08-06-2008 02:28PM

Cos those who are good with sticks/bats/rackets etc generally play hurley.

estebancambias · 08-06-2008 02:31PM

Do we have any players of note?

My grandmother was a Murray so I'm thinking I might have the tennis Billy gene King. That my friends is comedy gold.

Xavi6 · 08-06-2008 02:44PM

We've never had anybody crack the top couple of hundred I don't think.

At underage we seem to be pretty good. One or two people I played juniors with/against got scholarships abroad. To be honest a lot of kids, like myself, lost interest around 17 and never kept going. I played at Leinster standard and I know pretty much everyone in my age bracket gave it up after they finished juniors. There wasn't any real incentive to keep playing when there are team sports out there that you do with your mates.

estebancambias · 08-06-2008 04:32PM

Didn't some Irish lad Pim win the first Wimbledon?

Thats impressive there Xavi.

davyjose · 09-06-2008 01:41AM

estebancambias wrote: »

Discuss.

Weather(shouldn't be), bad coaching, just plain lack of talent?

Popularity & Lack of facilities, I would say. They go hand in hand - if more folk played, there'd be more facilities (I mean courts obviously); if there were more facilities, more people would play.

Xavi6 · 09-06-2008 01:50AM

davyjose wrote: »

Popularity & Lack of facilities, I would say. They go hand in hand - if more folk played, there'd be more facilities (I mean courts obviously); if there were more facilities, more people would play.

Wouldn't agree on lack of facilities, certainly not in Dublin anyway. There are private clubs all over the place and pretty much every decent sized public park has some form of public courts.

I was a member of Castleknock for years before I moved over here and they have fantastic facilities.

estebancambias · 09-06-2008 02:45AM

Sort of off-topic but is there any clay courts in Ireland? I love playing on clay.

kmart6 · 09-06-2008 03:16AM

Yeah,there's one in Arklow afaik!

People just don't continue to play it as they get older!

GoneShootin · 09-06-2008 09:23AM

Facilities isn't an issue, but cost is. You've only two routes open to you:

1) Natural god given talent + years of expensive coaching = possibility

2) Natrual god given talent + scholarship to some foreign land = better possibility

There's a lad in Cork here who came to tennis via the "Parks Tennis" scheme. No expensive club membership needed, as tennis sessions were organised for inner city kids on tarmac courts. He was spotted as a guy with talent and was singled out for coaching. He eventually won a scholarship to some American University.

There's a issue of population aswell, and accesibilitiy of tennis at grass roots level. You can find a GAA pitch in almost every town in Ireland, but you won't find a tennis court nearby.

Another issue is the clubs themselves. So many clubs are ran by the same old committee year in year out, and the clubs themselves are only interested in the social side, with no real focus on nuturing talent.

davyjose · 09-06-2008 10:35AM

Xavi6 wrote: »

Wouldn't agree on lack of facilities, certainly not in Dublin anyway.

Hmm, I still think you're over-estimating the amount of courts available. If 1 in 5 kids in Dublin decided they wanted to play Tennis tomorrow, could they? I don't think they could.
Certainly I could be wrong, but to the best of my knowledge there isn't one public tennis court in Tallaght - a population centre of well over 50,000 people.

Marshy · 09-06-2008 10:54AM

Compare us with the UK though. They have a population of around 60 million and have only really ever had one world class player at any time ie. Murray now and Henman before him. What chance do we have with a population of 4 million. The fact is its very much a minority sport here.

jackdaw · 09-06-2008 03:24PM

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this , but it's the snobby attitude of clubs in Ireland, like sutton in Dublin, so its open only to rich kids ..

also they're silly rules like only whites allowed on court .. ridiculous ..

I'm living in Barcelona now and in a good club, we have pros emerging at our
club and there is no nonsense rules like that one, also the courts are open to all kids from different backgrounds..

Also the surfaces in Ireland are **** .. that false grass ? savanahh ??

its crap .. there is no pro tournos that have that surface,
more hard courts are needed ..

Xavi6 · 09-06-2008 03:56PM

davyjose wrote: »

Hmm, I still think you're over-estimating the amount of courts available. If 1 in 5 kids in Dublin decided they wanted to play Tennis tomorrow, could they? I don't think they could.
Certainly I could be wrong, but to the best of my knowledge there isn't one public tennis court in Tallaght - a population centre of well over 50,000 people.

Well I'm from D15 and off the top of my head I could think of at least 5 or 6 different public tennis courts that are involved in the Kit Kat tennis. That's how I started out before I started playing seriously. In my experience the facilities are there and there's a large amount of kids playing the sport at a young. It's when they get older and can't play soccer, GAA, hurling and tennis that the decision is usually made to drop tennis first.

jackdaw wrote: »

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this , but it's the snobby attitude of clubs in Ireland, like sutton in Dublin, so its open only to rich kids ..

also they're silly rules like only whites allowed on court .. ridiculous ..

I'm living in Barcelona now and in a good club, we have pros emerging at our
club and there is no nonsense rules like that one, also the courts are open to all kids from different backgrounds..

Also the surfaces in Ireland are **** .. that false grass ? savanahh ??

its crap .. there is no pro tournos that have that surface,
more hard courts are needed ..

Savannah courts with good drainage best suit our weather. There are plenty of indoor/hard courts around too. Outdoor hard courts just get flooded too easily.

MisterAnarchy · 10-06-2008 11:04AM

jackdaw wrote: »

Also the surfaces in Ireland are **** .. that false grass ? savanahh ??

I am not a fan of Savannah either.
It varies hugely in consistency especially with the layers of sand applied.
We used to have hardcourts at my club but they replaced them with Savannah as the older players were complaining of the impact on their knees.
Big mistake in my opinion ,the hard courts are a much better surface .
If the Savannah courts are wet they are almost unplayable,ball shoots off at crazy low angles.

chiefwiggum · 14-06-2008 09:46AM

i was involved in the junior tennis coaching for national squads for years and the sport faces some serious problems firstly i agree the lack of top coaches in the country is a major stumbling block,ireland has many other sports to compete with tennis like soccer rugby football and hurling all of which are much cheaper to play which makes tennis look like an elitist sport,it is expensive to play if you are any good between racquets which can cost up to 250-300 squid each and coaching which could be up to 10 hrs a week at up to 50 squid an hr for the best coaches here,we have produced some top players but they get offered big scholarships to the states where the college circuit is probably the toughest in the world and they decide to use their teenis to get their degrees and return to social tennis and the ones who do want to progress to pro status decide to do stupid things on nights out in grafton street

GoneShootin · 14-06-2008 10:31AM

chiefwiggum wrote: »

racquets which can cost up to 250-300 squid each

You're joking right? That's only if you walk in blindfolded into a high street store and ask stupidly "gimmie your best racket".

Shop around online and you'll get far better prices.

davyjose · 14-06-2008 05:13PM

Hint hint ^^^^^^

GoneShootin wrote: »

You're joking right? That's only if you walk in blindfolded into a high street store and ask stupidly "gimmie your best racket".

Shop around online and you'll get far better prices.

BDPinDublin · 26-06-2008 06:49PM

I bought a quite good Wilson tennis racket for 35 euros and I'm playing for free in Marlay Park (near Dundrum). I'm from Brazil and I disagree tennis is a sport for minority here (ok... can be, but by population option). In Brazil there isn't any public tennis courts.

And about famous tennis players in Ireland, I think it's possible to appear some (people just need to play more) - Switzerland have less than 8mi inhabitants and Federer is always playing in international championships.

I use to play with a friend of mine. If there are 2 buddies looking for a tennis match 2 x 2, just PM and let's see who is better!!

Goodluck2me · 30-06-2008 07:26PM

chiefwiggum wrote: »

the ones who do want to progress to pro status decide to do stupid things on nights out in grafton street

wow thats harsh

geoff29 · 30-06-2008 09:19PM

goodluck2me wrote: »

wow thats harsh

he was referring to an incident which happened a year or two back...

I know another person who got a great scholarship overseas but blew it because he wanted to drink and the rules said he couldn't. He got kicked out. I'm sure there'll be a mixed reaction to that comment but - I doubt the Federer Express and those lads would have been as thrilled by drink as the Irish are.

I doubt I need to say it but, Tennis is viciously hard. You are one person by yourself - if there are any mistakes, whether due to lack of prep or whatever, you are left totally exposed. It's not like rugby etc. where even if you have a bad day - you can be rescued by your team-mates.

So, like other solo sports, it takes huge determination and drive - and that seems to be something Irish people possibly lack: that total and utter discipline. We have heart - but do we have that discipline???? It seems that those out in eastern europe have it - they see the chance to better their lives. And hats off. I remember reading about how Ivanisevic was solving family problems when he was a teen with the money he earned - and how I think he had to do military service at some point in between?!!?

Having said all of that, I do agree that we don't have the facilities either. Now I know there are courts in parks etc. but - when you are a teenager in that 'will I give it everything' mood - you prob want to play in a club and the fact is that, in Dublin at least, playing clubs is damned expensive. Even now - I frankly can't afford to do so.

And again, I agree there's huge competition with other sports

ByrdsFan · 02-07-2008 12:15AM

goodluck2me wrote: »

wow thats harsh

more harsh on the chap left brain damaged becuase of it

I do believe if as many kids in Iireland played tennis as they do football, we would find a world class player.

I dont think we have had any Irish in the singles at Wimbledon since Matt Doyle in the 80s. I do hope one day we get a world class player who will be challenging for slams.

loyatemu · 03-07-2008 02:12PM

same problem they have in the UK - its an elitest sport, theres a lot of competition from other sports (rugby & cricket there, rugby and GAA here, as well as soccer obv.).

The number of public courts is increasing but because there weren't many in the past there isn't much of a culture of playing tennis outside its usual middle-class enclave.

The brits produce the occassional good player purely because they have a much larger population than us - in comparison to similar sized countries like France and Spain, they are doing very poorly.

Mr.Nice Guy · 05-07-2008 04:29PM

You would think we'd be able to produce good tennis players since hurley generally requires good hand-to-eye coordination.

I think there needs to be someone to fly the flag for the country in order for there to be enough interest generated in the sport. It's just not popular enough over here.

Pigman II · 06-07-2008 10:42AM

We're (for the most part) a classless society. We need a solidly defined upper class in order to breed a proper tennis culture in this country.

GoneShootin · 06-07-2008 12:17PM

Pigman II wrote: »

We're (for the most part) a classless society. We need a solidly defined upper class in order to breed a proper tennis culture in this country.

Sherifu · 06-07-2008 12:41PM

estebancambias wrote: »

Discuss.

Weather(shouldn't be), bad coaching, just plain lack of talent?

We have a small enough population, but that's not the main reason. I think it's the small number of courts / people actively playing it in Ireland.

I usually play twice a week on clay and I love it. I used to play in Ireland weather permitting. Too much wind.

kinaldo · 06-07-2008 04:30PM

Very few Irish seem to have more than a passive interest in tennis outside of Wimbledon. I played in school at junior level for a while but I wasn't very sporty back then. When I really fell in love with tennis I looked into joining clubs around Ballsbridge and aside from the cost you need two references from existing members. Almost as elitist as golf, but at least golf generates a lot more interest and we can produce the odd world class player.

MisterAnarchy · 07-07-2008 01:44AM

loyatemu wrote: »

same problem they have in the UK - its an elitest sport

Bull****
Elitist ? Are you joking me ?
Racket membership at my local club is 250 euro a year .
4 all weather floodlit tennis courts and 2 squash courts ,play as much as you want.
Thats less than half the cost of joining most gyms.
I know what I'd prefer to spend my money on.

Xavi6 · 07-07-2008 01:53AM

MisterAnarchy wrote: »

Bull****
Elitist ? Are you joking me ?
Racket membership at my local club is 250 euro a year .
4 all weather floodlit tennis courts and 2 squash courts ,play as much as you want.
Thats less than half the cost of joining most gyms.
I know what I'd prefer to spend my money on.

100% agree. Most people have only started going to the gym cause it's become 'cool' in today's society. Feck that, I hate running for no reason i.e., on a treadmill, but I'll run around a football pitch or a tennis court all day if I can.

MisterAnarchy · 07-07-2008 02:00AM

Xavi6 wrote: »

100% agree. Most people have only started going to the gym cause it's become 'cool' in today's society. Feck that, I hate running for no reason i.e., on a treadmill, but I'll run around a football pitch or a tennis court all day if I can.

Wholeheartedly agree.
Tennis is great exercise and a great sport as you use most of the muscles in your body.
Plus its fun.

Xavi6 · 07-07-2008 02:06AM

The problem though is that any uncoordinated clown can run in a straight line on a machine or lift a few weights. Unfortunately tennis is a skill that some people either can't master quick enough or at all which leads to frustration which in in turn leads to giving up.

Plus if you're in your 30s and only starting out it can be hard to find a practice partner of the same level etc in a club where you know no one.

dhaumi · 18-07-2008 10:57AM

I first played tennis in Ireland (Galway) last wednesday. I don't want to sound pessimistic, but I can't see how Ireland will ever produce decent tennis players with:
- Savannah's courts (no comment)
- Outrageous subcription fees (I know people in this thread said 250€, I wish it was that low in Galway)
- More infrastructures
- Getting children to play AND to keep playing

As it happened, I had to buy tennis balls before that day. I went to Elvery's, Made in Sport, the tennis shelf reflects the popularity of tennis in Ireland, let alone the overpriced equipment...
I absolutely ADORE this sport, but I HATE to think that it is only for Dublin 4 rich kids.

Mikel · 19-07-2008 11:38PM

dhaumi wrote: »

- Savannah's courts (no comment)

What's wrong with savannah courts?
They're all weather, the only alternative is tarmacadam.
That's very hard on the body, and they're very slow, which doesn't lend itself to playing aggressive tennis, which you have to do if you really want to get somewhere

- Outrageous subcription fees (I know people in this thread said 250€, I wish it was that low in Galway)

Most in Dublin would be around 400 to 600, compares pretty well to a gym. In addition most clubs have a social aspect which you won't get in Total Fitness

- More infrastructures

There's loads of tennis clubs, public parks etc...
Probably as many tennis clubs in Dublin as gaa clubs

- Getting children to play AND to keep playing

Every sport has that problem.. see football, rugby, gaa, athletics, swimming etc

I absolutely ADORE this sport, but I HATE to think that it is only for Dublin 4 rich kids.

It's not

Nolanger · 22-07-2008 05:57PM

Too much emphasis on team sports here - running around a field with gobsh**es shouting at you.

Sea Devils · 24-07-2008 03:47PM

Wow just a few comments to make because I am a member of the same club you mentioned

Savannah's courts (no comment)

You claim the Savannah Courts are bad yet it is easier on the body then Tarmac and better in terms of rallying. There is also very little alternative out there as far as I know.

Outrageous subcription fees (I know people in this thread said 250€, I wish it was that low in Galway

Here is a list of the member fees. I personally don't see anything there as expensive as what you'd get for a gym plus like what Mikel said you get a social side that they don't offer e.g. Tennis club nights or Badminton club nights etc.

More infrastructures

Actually in this city there are plenty of Tennis courts available. Down in Westside there are 4 Courts usually popular and they are some in Barna although for the Barna ones have no idea if you have to be a member or not.

As it happened, I had to buy tennis balls before that day. I went to Elvery's, Made in Sport, the tennis shelf reflects the popularity of tennis in Ireland, let alone the overpriced equipment

I think I paid about 40 Euro for my Racket which isn't too bad. when you think about it essentials for Rugby or Football like Boots etc will end up costing more

-

Getting children to play AND to keep playing

Tennis isn't the only sport that faces this problem

I absolutely ADORE this sport, but I HATE to think that it is only for Dublin 4 rich kids.

Well if the facilities are there then how exactly is it exlusive all of a sudden

irish_bob · 26-07-2008 09:21AM

you could ask the same question as to why is ireland so crap at track and field or at any sport that is in the olympics

our olympic record is shockingly poor

irish_bob · 03-08-2008 09:13PM

same reason most sports struggle to gain ground here

the gaa is all engulfing, especially outside dublin which is where most irish people still live , if your good with either your feet or hands in terms of sport , your most likely going to end up playing either gaelic football or hurling
its also one of the reasons we have such a pittifull record at the olympics aswell

davyjose · 04-08-2008 01:22AM

Xavi6 wrote: »

The problem though is that any uncoordinated clown can run in a straight line on a machine or lift a few weights.

I disagree. Apart from thinking that jogging and lifting weights is something any old clown can do (a little offensive to those that do this, and probably not as simple as you think), it's main cause for popularity is that it's one of the few sporting endeavours that people can do ON THEIR OWN.

With tennis, unless you want to practice your serve half the day, and chase balls the other half, you need a partner. This might not be a problem in mediterranean countries, where the weather is warm, but in Ireland you need a better excuse than that to be hanging out in the rain and wind.

Xavi6 · 04-08-2008 01:29AM

davyjose wrote: »

I disagree. Apart from thinking that jogging and lifting weights is something any old clown can do (a little offensive to those that do this, and probably not as simple as you think), it's main cause for popularity is that it's one of the few sporting endeavours that people can do ON THEIR OWN.

It wasn't meant in an offensive way so I apologies if you took it up that way.

My point is that it doesn't take much to pick up how to run or lift weights. Tennis is a skill learnt over time and therefore, imo, harder to grasp and a lot of people wouldn't have the patience or give it the time.

With tennis, unless you want to practice your serve half the day, and chase balls the other half, you need a partner. This might not be a problem in mediterranean countries, where the weather is warm, but in Ireland you need a better excuse than that to be hanging out in the rain and wind.

I do agree with you there, however there are more and more indoor courts cropping up all over the place so that excuse is slowly but surely becoming defunct.

davyjose · 04-08-2008 04:46AM

Yeah, but the fact that you can't play it alone, nor can you effectively play in a group, limits it as an interest to most people, I think.

It's not excuse by the way, these same issues count in other countries just as much. Croatia has a population similar to our own, and they're not just producing Tennis Players, they're producing better soccer players, and players of other sport's too.

Blazer · 04-08-2008 05:30AM

I think it's also to do with the availability of Tennis courts.
When I was growing up we had two tennis courts where we lived..and remember every 8 months of the year we'd play about 6 hours a day.(maybe 2-3 in school time). We had some fantastic players in our group and great competitiveness between us all for best player/fastest server/most aces etc.
Then the town committee decided "to hell with the youth-we need that space for the bingo night..for car spaces".
Now all the youth do is hang around in their hoodies looking dangerous but really they are just bored.
Also when I moved in Limerick I know of only one place "Ennis road" and this had a 2-3 year waiting list and to my shock it was a couple of hundred pounds to join (so used to free tennis

).
If we want good tennis players and this applies to soccer and other sports then we need to make these facilities available and free to everybody in all towns and cities..

Pride Fighter · 09-08-2008 05:35AM

davyjose wrote: »

Yeah, but the fact that you can't play it alone, nor can you effectively play in a group, limits it as an interest to most people, I think.

It's not excuse by the way, these same issues count in other countries just as much. Croatia has a population similar to our own, and they're not just producing Tennis Players, they're producing better soccer players, and players of other sport's too.

Mirko Cro Cop and Goran Reljic in MMA.
Someone said earlier that the GAA steals all of our Olympic athletes and I agree. However in the initial stages of the GAA they held a type of Celtic Olympics in Croke park that had all sorts of sports. I think they should bring that back, encourage the GAA players to try their hand at a sport that can benefit our national pride, ie competing in the olympics. Its better for the next DJ Carey to be earning the nation a medal in tennis than playing Aussie Rules Football. My idea is all encompasing, not just for tennis.

McGetty · 09-08-2008 08:56PM

Good idea, but I'd say it'll be a cold day in hell before the GAA hosts an event with the specific intention of encouraging kids to try non-Gaelic sports.

I think exposure is a big part of the problem. When do you even hear of tennis in this country outside of Wimbledon time? Okay, the other three Grand Slams might get a passing mention in the sports section on RTE news, but that's it. If kids don't see or hear much about tennis growing up, they're not going to be motivated to go play it. 10-year old cousin of mine was visiting and came into the living room while I was watching a match on EuroSport and told me it was the first tennis match he had ever seen.

Sea Devils · 10-08-2008 11:52AM

It's a nice idea about the GAA trying to be tied in with Tennis but realistically thats a pipedream

I defintely agree with the exposure bit though. I really do wish majors like the Australian open and French would be given more access on TV rather then just be given a highlights programme of theMens and Womens finals etc. If people are motivated to play Tennis around Wimbledon time who's to say that with a little more coverage of the Grand Slams you would get them playing throughout the year.?

patma2003 · 03-09-2008 06:02PM

I sent out letter to all clubs in the province of leinster... guess how many clubs there are...? over 80.

That is a massive person per tennis court ratio. Even better than my home country Australia - add in the realtively short distance one has to travel and you have a tight-knit tennis community ready to explode. There is no excuse for not producing tennis players. The irish are good at making excuses, yet, they are at the top of the world in cycling, horse racing, golf, lierature, music, theatre... to name but a few.

Sure it won't change until the media takes a hold, and young players are educated best when educated on the sly... (which is why i am happy the new mag Tennis Life Ireland was released last month) yet, tennis won't really hit the mainstream media until a player like Conor Niland hits the top 100 and makes Grand Slam main draws automatically. In the 70's and early 80's average-joe-sports-fan could tell who the top three Irish tennis players were. Not possible today however.

The sport of cricket in Ireland has put many Irish sports to shame. On not even a shoe string budget, Ireland's criketers managed to bully super-power pakistan about at the last World Cup. Bully is the correct word. Stunning effort.... and the final proof that good management can get anything done... despite the monetary shortcomings.

Yet... tennis is more a world game, 2nd only to Football... yet, it is a sport that finds itself under the pump. Next week, it is mid September, week 38 of the year... and... how many of the lowest level professional tournaments will be held in the country of Spain...?... 34 Futures ($10k-15k) tournaments out of 38 weeks - and that is not including the many ATP level (€500k +) or Challenger level (€35-125k) tournaments. That is not rocket science... just... survival of the fittest.

34 weeks of 38... a 10k or 15k futures is held.

Dangle the carrot and they will play thru their teens, into their 20's... and keep a dream alive... because... the dream is constantly being played somewhere in their home country every week.

I am not saying that Ireland has the money to hold tournaments every second week of the year... because it doesnt. However, currently, the Irish professional tennis season is 2 Futures Level tournament plus one Challenger, the Irish open.

Wouldn't national money poured into young players who only turn their back on the pro game at 18, and head to that United States, be better spent on having 8 or 9 Futures level tournaments plus the end of series Challenger, then let the private sector look after the training of high level tennis players..? I can assure - there are coaches and ex-players out there who are currently coaching Ireland pro tourers - it does exist. Yet, I can also agree with the posters who say the coaching is relatively poor, because the motives of coaches are lop-sided... it is pretty much about the coin here in Ireland - performance is secondary.

Perhaps another way is to award the best domestic or pro players with 4 x 3 week tours with a coach and 4 players per year.

For sure, if there is an incentive to play on... they will. But currently, there is a lack of interest due to poor visibility... just like i see people mad keen for tennis one week a year... the week after Wimbledon is on the box.

Imagine if tennis on TV was in the face in 4 or 5 similar instances...? it would be enough to keep the dream just ticking over. Yet, as it stands education is poor.

For sure, we are seeing what is considered the best ever generation of Irish tennis player hit their early twenties right now. If nothing is done soon, then, Ireland risks losing this great breed to ignorance, mis-management and a system that is stuck in the late 60's.

I can't say Australia is much better... as we are also outdated... a system that prides itself on breeding junior players and nothing beyond. because... its safe that way: 'Oh loook how weel we are doing... look how many kids we have in the top 100 juniors in the world...!' So what...

Or... maybe i have it all wrong...

maybe this is this an Ireland that would rather see its' best, who represent their country in what is a TRUE WORLD game, sleeping in airports and phone booths because they are not even travelling on a shoe string budget...?

Because... that is what i am seeing up ahead.

So much for the Celtic Tiger...

davyjose · 06-09-2008 10:55PM

80 clubs? How many clubs have Britain or the US got? Name me another US mens player outside of Roddick, Blake, Querrey, or Fish? Name me another Brit outside of Murray.

You can blame the bloody Celtic Tiger for our lack of success at Tennis, but please try to realise that the populaiton of our country makes up way less than 1% of the world's. And Tennis is not a priority here. The fact we excel at anything is a testament to our nation.

You cite the things we are good at (although, is it 15-20 years since we've had a world class cyclist?) anyway, these are things we happen to excel at. Things we go above and beyond to achieve in spite of our limitations. Things to be proud of, not to compare against because there happens to be a sport we have no pedigree in.

And unless your name is Padraig Harrington, or Stephen Roche, what have YOU done to change the situation? That's the most laughable thing to me - people who complain about hat everyone else apart from them are not acheiving.

Sorry for the rant, but, for instance, New Zealand are always brought up, because their population is comparable to ours. They're great at so many sports. But New Zealand have never had a top 12 ranking in the world's most popular sport (soccer). New Zealand don't have their own national sport which almost every youth in the country partakes in(GAA - 2 sports actually - they're nowhere near as good at Rugby as we are at Hurling), and guess what .. you're right, new Zealand don't have James Joyce or Oscar Wilde, but hey ... they got 3 Gold medals at the Olympics, so bully for them.

Simply put, Ireland are a master of some trades, and a jack of few. Tennis is not a top priorty; get over it people. We can't have it all. But at the end of the day what are we doing about it? If you're not happy then buy your kid a bloody racquet and bust his ass 10 hours a day (like Agassi's dad did), otherwise, leave off.

End of thread, please??????????????????????

patma2003 · 08-09-2008 02:49PM

davyjose wrote: »

80 clubs?

Things to be proud of, not to compare against because there happens to be a sport we have no pedigree in.

80 clubs per the population of the province of lienster is incredible. This does not include public tennis courts. Go have a look at the facilities in a nation I have lived in such as Slovakia and another one i have not, Croatia... nations with less population than ireland, Slovakia debilitated by 40 years of communism, yet manage to face each other in the Davis Cup Final in a world of giants by comparison... surely this is not right...? is this what you tell me...

Pedigree...? the Irish Open is the second oldest tournamnent in the world. Once upon a time THE warm up to Wimbledon... patroned by such players as the greatest of all time Rod Laver. So... where did Ireland miss the boat...? The facilties are there... the organisation of it however... ?

the negativity in your post is typical of many in your nation... 'ahh... feck it... we'll never be good at that... so... ahh feck it' hey, there is nothing wrong with realism, however, maybe this is where a little bit of sunshine affected the evolution in the mentality of a population.

My post was meant to illustrate that it IS very possible... The fighting spirit within a nation would make it so... getting a culture to believe that however, would appear to be the most difficult part... look past the nagetive, realise the positive... its not hard to do... the talent IS there...

End of thread...? i believe it has just started...

heyarnold · 13-09-2008 10:08PM

applauds patma.

patma2003 · 14-09-2008 04:14AM

heyarnold wrote: »

applauds patma.

not a bother mate...

anyone wishing to read a story about one of the best irish pros, who could beat up the worlds best on his day...

5th post down... in the blue:

http://www.tennisxforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=514

legendary...

gafferino · 26-09-2008 11:10AM

I agree with alot of the stuff being said here. As a huge fan of tennis who played as kid and didnt start playing again until recently (26 yrs old) something needs to be done to attract more kids in but most importantly keep them there.
As regards getting top class players breaking through the world ranks here is a link to where Irish players currently stand

http://www.atptennis.com/3/en/rankings/entrysystem/default.asp?showall=1&RankDate=9%2F22%2F2008&country=Ireland&rank=0&image1.x=18&image1.y=6

I think funding is the main issue here as there are some incredibly talented players in Ireland.

Why is Ireland so crap at producing tennis players?

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