LTA FACING CRUCIAL MATCH POINT

THE CONSEQUENCE OF REWARDING FAILURE

Like an under-pressure top seed serving to stay in a Grand Slam, British tennis is in a state of disarray currently.

At a time when many sporting clubs and institutions are cutting their cloth, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) is still receiving its more-than-generous funding of £26m, with hardly any justifiable reasons for doing so.

The institution has come under scathing criticism in recent years for failing to produce a sufficient amount of prospects like Andy Murray or Laura Robson.

When evaluating the success or failure of the organisation in recent years, many people simply suggest one name: Alex Bogdanovic.

Bogdanovic, 26, has become a laughable figure in the game, due to a succession of wildcard Wimbledon entries which sees his record stand at eight consecutive first round exits.

The case of Bogdanovic is just one aspect that falls under the LTA’s umbrella of failure.

In order to combat the problems faced by British tennis, earlier this year Sports minister Hugh Robertson announced that a greater emphasis will be placed on the game at grassroots level,. He said:

“We expect tennis to play a prominent role and to capitalise on the huge demand and potential that exists in schools as part of our plan to set up an Olympic and Paralympics-style competition. This will be a nationwide competition that is open to every school and every child in the country”.

It would seem this initiative is aimed at producing a better standard of players in the future years; nevertheless, the matter of today’s prospects must also be questioned.

James Ward is 23, and is ranked as British number 2, yet only scrapes into the world’s top 200 and is virtually unknown by even the most diehard British tennis followers.

Ward featured in the recent Davis Cup debacle when Great Britain, minus Murray, were embarrassed in a 3-2 defeat to Lithuania that signalled the team’s sole dependence on the world number four, aswell as highlighting the deficiencies within our ranks from the Scotsman’s understudies.

Murray’s shoulders must be close to buckling, given the weight of expectation that he is carrying. The LTA’s reputation is on the line every time he enters a major tournament, and with each failure, a harmful blow is dealt to them from scathing critics.

Many from within the game have talked about a cut in funding, with the intention of teaching them that their failure cannot continue to be supplemented so graciously.

Whatever the solution, it needs to be quick, in order for the LTA to avoid the infamous game, set and match analogy that surely faces them at this moment.