Club Tennis in Australia and ATP rankings!
Players cannot play Pennant Tennis in Australia and get ATP points. Nor in Europe. But at least in Europe players can play for their clubs and make lots of Euros. Good money exists in CLUB TENNIS throughout Europe. In Australia we have the AIS and High Performance programs underpinning tennis development and they do a great job. BUT! So young and so removed from senior ranks.
What is missing is the fact that the average age in ranking lists is 25. Plus or minus but exactly like other sports. Now if a good player is 17 years of age in Australia and you tell him to hang in till 22.5 before he or she makes a breakthrough, you will lose business as a coach or fitness trainer. That is 2016 approximately. Phew! But that is the equation 90% of the time.
So when players spin out of these AIS programs or Development programs due to many factors such as injury, age, poor form, poor perceived potential, their own decision etc, they are often on their own. Highly ranked players do get some funding now but again I am talking about 18 to 22YO ranked from 1000 to 200 approx.
So then the problem becomes finance. Even those that can afford the process find it tough. What about an 18yo from an average family that has an income less than $70,000 total and has already invested heavily in their son or daughter since 7YO. Too many people in tennis in my opinion think everyone earns $250,000plus and has massive amounts of money. My GUT tells me that our tennis talent resides in a lowe socio-economic strata. Just too expensive a sport. The odds of making it are close to zero and the cost is frightening.
So at 18 and often devoid of assistance this player then has to decide. They may be ranked 701 in the world which is ok. They can play a bit. They still believe in themselves which is crucial. So how do they afford coaches at $70 an hour, racquets, travel, food and ongoing educational needs. Parents have had enough. Often splits families. The player cannot earn money because of the silly ATP/ITF schedule that requires huge funds to travel and earn points.
We have very few good tournamants in Australia and the PRO circuit is too spread around irrelevant venues and costly again. Why not have the PRO circuit in Sydney and Melbourne where players,coaches and facilities are concentrated? It costs a huge amount to get around to Darwin and Berri etc.
At least in a country like Italy, players can play Club tennis and earn enough money to propel themsleves around the circuit. It is so easy to travel in Europe. Siriani has underpinned a career using this method and in Europe players working their way through the rankings use this method to stay alive through the crucial early 20’s and even 24 to 26. Forget the TOP 10. We know prodigies come early. That is another quest. To find the Agassi or the Nadal. That is why TA is working hard in promoting TOMIC. he is a talent and has the potential and is 17.
What I am talking about is TOP 100 and TOP 200 players.
We do develop young talent but it simply is the most expensive sport and least rewarding sport I know to play. A top 300 player in the world loses money. What a weird sport. Who can afford to lose money? Top 300 in Soccer. Phew. Top 300 in Soccer invests in real estate and Top 300 in AFL does very well also from day one!
So we need to develop CLUB TENNIS in Melbourne and Sydney and it has to be a tight and very lucrative schedule where OZ players can make good money that they then can use to uderpin their year.
I cringe when the OLD GUARD say our players should learn to struggle. Sure they should do it hard. But lose heaps of money? No! And should their parents foot bills. No! Not when so many make money out of the business of tennis. In some ways I am a hyporcite because part of my income is helping tennis players with fitness. But that is the equation. It costs money to improve in these sports.
Added to this is the expensive and non lucrative PRO circuit around Australia. A sure way to get the odd ATP point and see Australia and lose more money.
So I really think that CLUB TENNIS is a fundamental thing that does exist in Europe and does finance MATURE AGE players. No reviews or studies are needed. Just go to Europe.
If a player could bank $30,000 a year playing 2 to 3 months of Club Tennis this would provide incentive to young players in Australia to keep playing and not throw it in often a year or two before they are ready to blossom.
After all how many people go to work at TA to lose money?
Perceived Exertion Rates, Loadings and Tennis
I have used the RPE system first devised by Foster since 2001. I kept databases galore and by 2004 had found some trends using the system. When GPS data was added it seemed we had a powerful tool to get some bearing on loads in AFL training and games. All old hat now. Some clubs use some other markers and systems and many now categorize drills using RPE & GPS and coach/player feedback.
Tennis is a unique sport. It has high eccentric demands and can last for hours. So all energy systems contribute. But tennis players seem to train so much more and play more often than AFL players. I have kept some preliminary loadings and had one player doing 10,000 units 2 weeks before the OZ Open. Amazing!
Now I will not enter into an analysis of actual time trained and distance covered or TRIMPS etc here. Reality is they train heaps and often on hard surfaces. So of course there is no body contact and thus I would assume CK levels would be lower. The Skill Set required is the main factor but do they enter tournaments often at 90% power and speed levels?
Now how much work does Federer and Nadal and other top 20 players do? Do they periodize more and do they train for 120 minutes but at an RPE of 3 and thus 360 units.
The information is so blurred in Tennis and more research is needed on loadings. That is the critical information. How long and how hard? Reality is very few players make it and so many get injured despite the lack of body contact.
There is some uniformity with loadings information using various methods in Team Sports now. Also there is lots of evidence now with Track and Field and sports like Triathlon.
Aaron Coutts was involved in an N=1 study 2 years ago at Paris Open and the loadings there were fairly similar to what I saw in AFL. But so far my own experiences have seen LOADS of 4000 occuring quite often.
So are players on the circuit over reaching? Especially the 100 plus ranked players.
And young players? What is the optimal load?
Lots of scope for research in Tennis with Loads as against Periodization. What do the best do? Tough sport this one.
Women’s Volleyball will always be bigger than AFL. Much bigger!
In fact that should just be Volleyball ( Men’s and Womens combined). Just food for thought re MultiNational sponsors. Whatever AFL does with expansion it will never compare with the global nature of Volleyball. Same with cricket and netball. One cannot benchmark Volleyball (& tennis/track & field etc) against Cricket or Netball or AFL given it is played in every country.
AVL Women’s Volleyball Finals 2010
Went to watch the AVL finals at Dandenong today between UNI BLUES and WESTERN AUSTRALIA. My daughter Lauren was playing for UNI BLUES. Anyway very good match and went to 4 sets. Western Australia were great and won again. Awesome performance given UNI BLUES threw heaps at them.
What staggered me was during the medal presentation it was mentioned that some of the players were up to $3500 out of pocket to win a National Final. This is arguably a sport which is in the TOP 3 for participatants wordwide. Olympic Sport and Worlds are massive competitions and professional Volleyball exists Worldwide. Then add Beach Volleybal. Massive and just great to watch.
In Australia we have 3 sports which are massive. AFL, Netball and Cricket. I watch all three and great to watch BUT lets be honest. 2 are Commonwealth Sports and will always be so and one is “just” a National sport. But within the OZ market, sponsors queue up given the tribal nature of the sports, and the media exposure ( or maybe protection) these sports get. AFL has dreams of world domination but methinks it is more about brainwashing the locals that this is occurring.
But young athletes have to be careful. There are massive opportunities appearing on the world scene with elite sport. Look at Soccer and Basketball! In the US there is a far bigger population and really they only have one tribal sport. NFL. And they have College which gives kids in many sports a chance. We have a tiny Institute program that drops sports if they dont perform. How does that work when Volleyball is a massive sport for women in the world? How can you benchmark a Commonwealth Sport versus a truly International Sport?
The fact that this final was not televised live was odd given the game had more international relevance than netball and more so was great to watch. Young AFL players are being lured by the big money available. But to be honest I dont get it. Some of these kids could be great athletes representing Australia on the big stage. Money can always be earned and also opportunities are starting to open up for careers overseas where in fact money can be earnt. So many dreams will be shattered. After all an AFL player can only play against the IRISH Internationally and the only real competition in Netball at this stage is against New Zealand.
I am not a marketing person but Australia is a very small market and maybe sponsors need to look long term and divert money from sports that really are played in a very small “FISHBOWL.” Tennis is now a massive sport played in every country but one goose of a ‘FISHBOWL” journo recently said OZ tennis players couldn’t hit the ball over the net. Trouble is these “gooses” have a lot of influence in OZ. But sponsors maybe need to realize that Globalization will explode in sport. Even though many local journos criticized the WORLD CUP, no one forces millions to watch and play and cry for their teams. Some of the press was bizarre.
So in my opinion the logic is not about whether a sport like Women’s Volleyball is marketable, but more about whether sponsors and bureacracy realize, that in the long term kids are going to want to play on the World Stage once opportunites keep appearing. The best example is Soccer. Kids are dreaming about overseas and parents are paying big bucks. The dream is alive and many opportunities exist now and are increasing.
So let’s not be brainwashed by the saturation media that exists in our OZ SPORTS FISHBOWL. Things will change. Maybe AFL has a slight chance of growth in markets with Cricket Grounds BUT Women’s Volleyball will always be bigger. Much bigger!
Er nothing against AFL, Netball and Cricket! Vive le Commonwealth!
How fit and powerful is Rafael Nadal? Federer?
I was reading a few Italian articles on tennis and fitness. Julio Tous Fajardo is a sports scientist/strength and conditioning guru who has worked with Nadal, Moya and soccer clubs like Barcelona and Sampdoria. He chats about the fact that Nadal has the ability to maintain his speed at a far high level than Federer. He says that Nadal has double the power of football players?
“Nadal compensa lo svantaggio con una maggiore resistenza alla velocità.
La sua valutazione della potenza è due volte superiore a quella di un buon calciatore”
Aerobic power or pure unadulterated power? Some articles mention he has a MaxVo2 of plus 70 ml/kg/min and combined with his weight and strength this makes him lethal. There are others that chat about his power output using specific machines in watts.
Other articles in Italian chat about Paganini ( federer’s fitness guru) and Federer. They mention half squats of plus 150kgs and the ability to keep up with Swiss sprinters over starts. Trying to work out his aerobic capacity from what he mentions, suggests he can run approximately 11 minutes for a 3km.
Now all this is hearsay. Agassi is supposed to have benched 140kgs? Run up hills?
In Track and field we often get quite accurate feedback on what athletes are doing on the track and in the gym. Just part of the ethos and chit chat around track and field. Also so many people train together so information is disseminated and it is part of the day to day conversation in track an field.
Julio Tous Fajardo chats heaps about using machines and specifc devices such as Versa Pulleys and Flywheels more than weights and seems to base this on the fact that tennis players are prone to injury and also cannot get continuous training with fitness and strength and conditioning.
So as a result there seems to be much confusion with tennis on what to do. Little kids are heaving weights and others seemingly are pulling therabands.
It would be great to get some more specific feedback on what people are doing in training, but maybe the nature of the sport means this is tough, and also there seems to be so many ways to achieve the fitness needs required.
Oh well, I will keep asking around. In the meantime dont panic. Remember that a muscle just contracts and doesn’t know if it is playing tennis or is on a fancy machine. It just contracts. So just train sensibly.
But it would be nice to know exactly how fit and strong Nadal is!
Kevin Bartlett and Fitness Advisors in the AFL
I listened to SEN yesterday where Kevin Bartlett and Darryl Wakelin spoke about fitness advisors in the AFL after Mark Williams and Port Adelaide claiming overtraining in preseason caused problems in 2010.
Overtraining caused injuries: Williams
When Kevin Bartlett brought up Peter Grant and 1979 and Richmond I nearly choked on my Ravioli. I remember he spoke about how Grant pushed them too hard in his first year but softened the next and they won the flag. Darryl Wakelin referrred to how about teams get to the end of preseason ( or closish) and often can feel worse than at the start. Then again in general terms the interview suggested that fitness people were often not in touch with the demands of the game for want of a better explanation. Anyway if you listened that was the general trend of the interview.
Just odd.
People like David Misson at St Kilda and David Buttifant at Collingwood use Sports Science, data and any feedback they can obtain to manage loads and players as effectively as they can. This happens at most clubs.This would happen at the World Cup behind the scenes. Years ago we saw the AC Milan LAB and now that is old hat. Phew. Peter Grant! 1979!
I felt that listeners would listen to this interview on SEN and then think that fitness gurus in AFL clubs ran around like RAMBO and impose their will on players. Instead there are meetings after meetings with medical staff and coaches to try and get Loads right in probably the most demanding team sport in the world.
I was privy to the opposite claims in 2006 which were the opposite end of spectrum. Anyway I found these links on Google which relate to undertraining rather than overtraining, so have a read if you want. The reality was that Brian Cook was chillingly correct in his 2006 review on fitness and I couldn’t agree more with what he said . Remember though that winners are always grinners whatever the facts may be.
http://www.thecattery.com.au/Multimedia/GFCLetter_060928.pdf
http://www.thecattery.com.au/Articles/25112006_2.php
So Undertaining or Overtraining or Live on the edge or just off the edge?
The main thing is to have a mature side with lots of experience and a well funded club with great resources. Then the best of these teams wins, whether it is the best game plan, or smartest players, or most skilled kicks, or luck, or best managed, or whatever variable that discriminates teams.
So it is great fun being a fitness person in the AFL but every now and then logic defies physiology!
Karmichael Hunt and AFL fitness requirements
I watched the ABC with interest. Obviously the Gold Coast simply had to throw him in ASAP to get things going. Not ideal. Coming off Rugby Union and not even League and after finals and mixed in with hype and haste. He probably even is a little fatigued from training and especially kicking more. That can cause hammies grief. So there are so many factors to consider.
All the press and pundits have spoken about the fitness needs. Really in the end it will be more about whether he can play or has some specific skills suited to AFL. Looked okish until he got stuffed.
We hear stuff about GPS ( AFL vs League) and AEROBIC FITNESS and bodyshape and so on. I even listened to Craig Harper on SEN a few weeks sayng the same things and was bemused given his credentials and obvious knowledge. Our bodies are in a state of flux always. Depending on Hunts fast twtich/slow twitch profile he will have a certain percentage of interchangeable fibers. If his genetic profile sits somewhere in the middle for speed and endurance then the appropiate training over time will cause that change. Just depends on his potential for change and adaptation and the training method used and how many games he plays.
His 2km time was just passable which suggests he has some capacity for switching a few fibers around. I once watched a bodybuilder train for a marathon and run 2 hours 55 after totally changing his training well into his late 30’s. He also won the C Grade Zatopek 10,000 at an advanced age so we can change anything in our bodies.
Now there is this silly belief that all AFL players are aerobically gifted or have Lance Armstrong tanks. That is laughable. I have tested 100’s of players in LABS since 1987 to 2007. Ranges from 48ml/kg/min to 70 plus. Dustin Fletcher was a great APS sprinter/jumper etc and I can assure you his tank is not a Range Rover. Players like Paul Chapman have moderate engine capacities but over time develop their speed repeatability and maximize the correct mix of fibres and fitness by specifically training and playing AFL. Just playing causes the correct adaptive response. Even inseason players adapt a lot despite different adaptations to pre-seasons. Was their pre-season biased to speed ot strength or endurance. By mid year physiologies tend to become very AFL ish.
If Paul Chapman played Union and lived under a squat rack pumping 200kg plus full squats his legs would be bigger than Hunts.
James Hird had that perfect mix of adequate tank and fast twitch fibres. But once when injured he decided to bulk up and benched huge amounts and then tried to run and realized he had to drop weight. He was massive and didnt last one km. So instead of benching 150 plus he still was strong but benched 130ish. Just got to get the right mix for every sport , individual and position.
So what is KHunt’s tank? Who knows. But for sure bigger than some AFL guys.
Ever seen Josh Hunts legs. If Josh played Union or did Olympic Lifting he would make Dean Lukin’s legs look like Twiggy.
So if KHunt squats reps on 200 plus for example then maybe reps on 130 or even less might suffice for AFL. Then he can alter the distribution of muscle between quads and hams over time given the huge need for hip extensors in AFL. So much running at sub maximal 6 to 7m sec range in AFL.
So have the GOLD COAST run a Genetic test on Hunt? That would be a good idea. They should contact MYGENE. Have they done a MAX VO2 test. Cameron Ling is simply a genetic freak with a massive engine. Tested him years ago and he was massive. Gazza had an excellent tank and good speed and awesome change of direction. Perfect mix of genetics it seems for AFL added to strong legs. Buckley had to work hard on his capacity and speed repeatability.
I remember at Collingwood in 1994/95. Bucks had amazing power but could not repeat 150m strides. So he busted his arse and adapted. He drastically changed his body.
Ever played squash after years, Sore arse! Yep every sport is totally specific. We just adapt. Often we have seen huge men bowled over by skinnie miniies in AFL when tired. That is just fatigue. In a pub brawl that skinnie minnie would be thrown into the stratosphere but in an AFL game with rules and fatigue one little push can bowl over a behemoth.
So if Hunt wants to take centimetres off his legs thats easy. Do extra running and slightly less volume under squat rack. Maximize his aerobic capacity without compromising speed. Can be done. Improve speed repeatability. Can be done. Change power/weigh ratio. Improve lactate tolerance. Can be done. Again what is his genetic endowment. That will tell us a bit. Which way will training changes push him and how much.
Can he play? That is the question. Can he develop Game Sense? Has he got unique perceptual skills? Whatever. One can alter bodyshape dramatically in 3 months but Game Sense etc takes longer. Thats the focus. Seems to take AFL players 50 games on average and approximately be 21 or 22 on average to really make an imprint in AFL despite years playing. One part of this is simply their bodies but also they need to learn the game at high speed.
So lets not crap on about GPS etc and obvious blah blah. He simply needs to play games and train and then in a year or two we will know.
Given his sporting ability he should adapt.
Josh Ross and Dallas Combine tryout
Piero Sacchetta and Josh Ross are at a combine in North Texas assessing Josh’s ability to play American Football. Piero has assisted Josh since before Xmas with training and backup. This is being done at their own expense and is a very gutsy effort. Josh has trained very hard at his skills and specific tests with Piero so they are as prepared as you can be coming from Australia. Josh is an awesome athlete and has lots of runs on the board. We did a genetic test with MYGENE recently and the amazing fact is that he is more suited to hybrid sports than sprinting which underlines his sporting ability. Great story already that they have had the guts to go there. I met Josh at Health Club 101 in St Albans Melbourne in October 2009 and the owner, Paul Galea helped him with training and accomodation. Then Piero Sacchetta took over with Josh and the dream to play American Football was hatched. Piero was an Australian Javelin Champ, teacher and is a businessman now, so is an astute sports person.
Hamstring Injuries in the AFL 2010
AFL players at injury breaking point
This article appeared in the Herald Sun written by Jason Akermanis.
I suppose I should have an opinion on the current hamstring hysteria in the AFL. I am not going to delve into statistics in this post but simply will point out some possible curve balls. The LOAD factor that Jason talks about is real. One very good friend of mine (Rudy Pilotto from Serious Consulting) once explained the concept of vicious and virtuous cycles n business and how they may relate to sport.
Well in AFL winners are grinners. Clubs that go well usually make good decisons and don’t over react in training. Medicos and fitness staff have time to get players right or “pull” them off the track at training (so to speak!). Thus a virtuous cycle is in swing and the good team also makes good decisions usually with player management. IE St Kilda last year. ( I think Riewoldt might just be a clanger injury!). Even Geelong was able to take it’s time given games won and get players right for the finals. But when teams are under the pump everyone trains harder and all the cliches abound on the track. And often more injury. Sometimes a win but usually in the end more losses. Also compounding this is less players on the track and changed work rest ratios and thus more intensity. Not always, but a trend. That is why it is hard to get out of a vicious cycle. So many factors over and above media scrutiny and pressure.
Certainly the rule changes and the interchange increase has caused problems. No doubt. Well documented that the AFL has egg on it’s face for having listened to researchers that did consultancies a few years ago. Now these stats below are off a website so could be way off but anyway worth a look. It would be interesting to see if we are up on the start of most years. Certainly we havent seen as many operations on hamstrings but again let’s remember that hamstrings simply dominate the injury statisitics always in AFL. And I think there is often a spike early in the year. WHY this opinion. I could research the stats at the end of this post and that is worth doing, but at this stage I will simply provide an opinion.
So despite the obvious changes in the game what do I base my opinion on.
WHY A POSSIBLE SPIKE EARLY INSEASON AND NAB?
1) Often players have not adapted to high intensity repeat speed exercise early in the season. Especially now with the use of cross training and management of players. Cross training is great for fitness but does nothing for hammies at all! In the end the only way to prepare hamstrings for stress is to stress and adapt at high speed.
2) Often teams keep higher loads going into the start of the season. Great weather, coming off pre-season, coming off lower NAB Cup game loads, means teams do not make subtle adjustments to training loads. Funny thing once RD 6 to 10 comes and weather gets crappy and teams stop reacting usually LOADS are dropped a massive amount. HA The old reactive opposite effect. What? Sometimes fitness people outsmart themselves. They forget that 99% percent of the worlds people live in maybe 10% of the habitat. What? All this crap that coaches and fitness gurus go on about is funny. Human beings are a very weak species!
3) Grounds are great and players want to zing around. Coaches are keen and want to do that little extra with “extras”.
4) Great players usually have great speed and endurance and tough minds and push harder in trainng and games.
So Riewoldt and Kerr? Interesting that Riewoldt had a groin injury going into the GF. And also I couldnt get over his warmup in the week before. HA. Reminded me of James Hird. Warmed up early, then again with team and then was pumping the sprints. The thought passed my mind he was in absolute peak condition. Did he think he was invinvible? I reckon some of the greats think like this. Kerr is simple. Great capacity to run but injury plagued and hip/core related in past years. YUK. So the question is if when he turned the burners on was he ready at that extra 1% his brain can tell his body to go at? Like Cousin’s the year before. I am not in the inner sanctum so all opinions.
Akermanis is still very fast but is old. So that is a risk.
Aker is 100% right though. Risk increasing loads inseason in the hardest team sport by far and look out. Remember the CROWS in 2006! Aaaghhh. Forgot about the 99%/10% rule!
So the next step in this whole argument is to strictly look at statistics. Are there more hamstrings as we speak? Or will it be about the same. Only time will tell this season. But facts count.
And saying there is a bigger problem because high profile players have gone down is not great logic.
One problem is teams are trying to look at GPS data and create repeat speed demons. Is this flawed? I think a little and this might be a slight problem. In the end you still have to get the pill and kick it. And I reckon that most teams have equal physiologies by round 18 due to adaptation to games rather than pre-season.
Certainly though one simply has to give David Misson’s player management a massive tick. So again Riewoldt is a clanger maybe.
I was able to lower the hamstring injury rate from 1999 to 2006 to half the AFL rate and that is raw hard data folks! . How. Simply heaps of factors. Load management, core stability, running technique, speed in preseason, skills from Day 1, hamstring and gluteal strength and function. IE Trying to tick all boxes.
So let’s take a deep breath and analyze the data at the end of the year. If 25% of all injuries are hamstrings then there is a drastic problem. If the % rate is on par with average since early 2000’s then lets think again and look at individual cases.
Remember once you have adapted to eccentric exercise with speed at 99 to 100% then a dose every 8 days will keep you immune. Aker is smart!!
Trent Hentschel (knee) – TBC
Nathan van Berlo (hamstring/back) – Test
Rory Sloane (ankle) – 3-4 weeks
James Sellar (hamstring) – 2 weeks
Scott Stevens (concussion) – Test
Sam Shaw (shin) – 2-3 weeks
Brad Symes (knee) – indefinite
Brad Moran (knee) – indefinite
Brodie Martin (knee) – indefinite
Andy Otten (knee) – season
Updated April 19
Bryce Retzlaff (shin) – test
Bart McCulloch (quad) – test
Sam Sheldon (back) – 1 week
Amon Buchanan (thumb) – 1-2 weeks
Jed Adcock (quad) – 2 weeks
Cheynee Stiller (hamstring) – 2 weeks
Ryan Harwood (ankle) – 2 weeks
Mitch Golby (knee) – 2 weeks
Jamie Charman (ankle) – 2-4 weeks
Xavier Clarke (knee) – indefinite
Updated April 19
Paul Bower (leg) – test
Brad Fisher (knee) – 7-8 weeks
Brock McLean (hip) – test
Rhys O’Keeffe (hip) – 1-2 weeks
Updated April 19
Brad Dick (shoulder) – 4-5 weeks
John Anthony (foot) – test
Ben Sinclair (shins) – 1-2 weeks
Updated April 20
Mark McVeigh (elbow) – test
Angus Monfries (quad) – test
Brent Stanton (back) – test
John Williams (ankle) – test
Mark Williams (ankle) – test
Darcy Daniher (quad) – test
Michael Quinn (quad) – 1 week
Ben Howlett (ankle) – 1-2 weeks
Updated April 19
Nick Suban (ankle) – 1 week
Antoni Grover (knee) – 2-3 weeks
Tim Ruffles (knee) – 2-3 weeks
Scott Thornton (groin) 3-4 weeks
Updated April 20
Travis Varcoe (thumb) – 4-6 weeks
Mitchell Brown (leg) – 2-4 weeks
Steven Motlop (shoulder) – 12 weeks
Matthew Scarlett (back) – test
Brad Ottens (knee) – test
Josh Cowan (ankle) – test
Updated April 13
Simon Taylor (leg) – 12-14 weeks
Wayde Skipper (hamstring) – 4 weeks
Max Bailey (knee) – indefinite
Shaun Burgoyne (jaw) – 3-6 weeks
Josh Gibson (hamstring) – 10-12 weeks
Rhan Hooper (hamstring) – 2 weeks
Updated April 20
Colin Sylvia (jaw) – test
Jared Rivers (knee) – test
Cale Morton (knee) – 4 weeks
Liam Jurrah (shoulder) – 11 weeks
Daniel Bell (shoulder) – 2 weeks
John Meesen (ankle) – indefinite
Max Gawn (knee) – indefinite
Luke Tapscott (hip) – indefinite
Austin Wonaeamirri (hamstring) – 1 week
Updated April 13
Matt Campbell (ankle) – 4-6 weeks
Ben Speight (broken jaw) – 4-6 weeks
Alan Obst (quad) – available
Ed Lower (leg) – available
Aaron Black (groin) – 1 week
Brayden Norris (general soreness) – 1 week
Updated April 20
Daniel Motlop (hamstring) – 1-2 weeks
Marlon Motlop (fractured foot) – indefinite
Jay Schulz (knee bruising) – test
Matthew Westhoff (groin) – 2-3 weeks
Updated April 19
Chris Newman (hamstring) – test
Will Thursfield (leg) – test
Updated April 19
Lenny Hayes (broken nose) – available
Sam Fisher (concussion) – test
Luke Miles (leg stress fracture) – indefinite
Nick Riewoldt (hamstring) – indefinite
Updated April 13
Craig Bird (foot) – 4-5 weeks
Brett Meredith (quad) – available
Kristin Thornton (knee) – 4-5 weeks
Jake Orreal (back soreness) – TBA
Updated April 20
Western Bulldogs Injury List Matthew Boyd (broken hand) – 1 week
Tim Callan (knee) – TBA
Ayce Cordy (shoulder) – 3 weeks
Christian Howard (hip) – 4 weeks
James Mulligan (hamstring) – 1 week
Liam Picken (ankle) – 5-6 weeks
Shane Thorne (knee) – 12 weeks
Callan Ward (groin) – 5 weeks
Easton Wood (knee) – test
Updated April 19
Tennis and Patrick White
McNamee the perfect face – shame about mask
The article above appeared in today’s Australian.Zero comment on politics from me. But certainly did want to comment on some simplistic comments in the article as quoted below.
“Everybody knew Australian tennis was in trouble. A quick survey found only nine Australians who could hit the ball over the net with consecutive shots and none who could serve overhead. Bernard Tomic was hailed the next great hope, but only because he owned three racquets. But a deeper look would have shown a broadening base of talent that was yet to mature. More courts were being upgraded and if Little Lleyton’s best was behind him, Sam Stosur was on a run which took her into the world’s top 10.”
Whilst White does say there is a reasonable base, it still perpetuates the myth that none can play. Reality yes, is we havent got many players in the top echelon. Kids go overseas to academies and to pursue improvement. That has been going on for a while. People have been trying hard for a while. But what has to be remembered is that in my opinion this may be the toughest sport around to succeed in now. I have been in a number of elite sports and now first hand see the tennis industry. Tough.
It is an individual sport where millions of people are trying to squeeze into a few 100. As against the ‘good old days” everyone plays. And clay courts have become an issue added to the decline of grasscourt.
It is an expensive sport where you cant make much money at all unless you are top 100. Chances of that are slim. So how do you support yourself till 22/23 given the average age of grand slams and top 100;s is always 25ish. Well apart from some AIS funding real tough in OZ. No real club structure that supports players and just up to parents and some funding that seems to change all the time.
So in OZ you cant support yourself. And again forget people talking about years ago. Kids cannot afford to continue to gamble into their 20’s now. Forget the 60’s/70’s and 80’s and even 90’s. Added to this is the tyranny of distance. If you live in Europe or the States you can whisk around and pick up points winning a round or two and build your ranking. When your ranking gets to 200 to 500 you can then get into small tournaments and win a game or two. This then ups your ranking and off you go. So one needs to play and rack up points. OR be a superstar and go wham bam kazaam. Will happen once a generation. Hewitt? At least now we have a PRO circuit and Molik was able to rack up points and get going. Thats the system. You just dont play once. There are 10,000/25.000/50,000 etc and soon and they all require points to get in and the better the tournament the more points you make! Gotta get over there to make points!
As stated in the article there is a groundswell of players that constitute a solid base. But lets have a look at Stosur. She was born in 1984. So at approximately 16 she was 600 and only made the top 100 at 20ish. So even though she is a superb talent given she is top 10, it took a while. From what I have seen until 2003 this would have been a costly affair.Why stuff your career to play tennis? Play Netball and have some fun locally and get on ONE HD and work and study. Or play AFL and get delisted and play in the local leagues and make more dollars than a top 200 player can in a year! Amazing eh! Play State League soccer in melbourne and make more money!
YEAR-END WTA RANKING
Singles
Doubles
2009 13 7
2008 52
2007 47
2006 29
2005 46
2004 65
2003 153
2002 265
2001 271
2000 682 –
Not everyone agrees with some of the things that occurred around Tomic. But of course he did win the US Open juniors and lots of people are busting their butt to do this. It means a lot as long as he is developed properly. If he comes good ASAP great but he might take time. But he obviously has talent. Give him time. If it happens early take it!
If an Australian player is ranked 200 can he hit a ball over the net? I would say this guy is a far better sportsman than an AFL player who gets into Mike Sheahan’s AFL TOP 50. A TOP 50 player almost gets legendary status and clubs that do well become sporting centres. Odd! I trained AFL guys for 20 years ( and trained Track and Field & everything else) and there are some amazing guys playing. But there are some real schmucks who prosper within the system and get paid well and thats ok. People love AFL. But if one goes to the OZ Open and watches Qualifying and sees the distraught look on very good players from all over the world that lose narrowly in RD 1 of Quals. They have to pay coaches and bills. It is tough. They are great players. Not Federers but remember a player ranked 200 in the AFL is deemed a valuable commodity. So work that one out. Ranked 200. Knocked out of quals in a big tournament and losing money. Tough gig!
I think we have had a lot of real talent go through to keeper in tennis. Burnout, overtraining, lack of funds or just a bad year or two. Overtraining is a huge one. Too many kids train too much too early. Worldwide problem in the tennis actually in my opinion. Some survive! There is a better system.
A lot of thought has to go into how to 1) Unearth the GRAND SLAM winner in OZ 2) Get the 200 to 600 guys able to to stay in the sport so they form a base in the top 150. These are 2 different aims.
BUT they can play and lots of kids are great. Past eras mean nothing. The skills and athleticism required in tennis now totally eclipse the past. And soon Sports Science and elite coaches will invade the sport and we will see another jump.
Tough gig. Seems to me we have got a real talent base now coming through and lots of players pusihing into 200’s etc. Lets get these very good players up and make them exceptional players. But they can’t do it on a diet of PAL dog food!
loris bertolacci 