James Dee says...I am a tennis coach working in one of the top tennis academies in Barcelona. The Spanish system creates a different style of player than the English due to the emphasis placed on fitness and the fact that they train on clay, a much slower surface which forces a player to build points rather than looking for the big shot. This is a big difference not because one is better than the other but because the Spanish style is a much easier form of tennis to learn. Less ´feel´and talent is needed, meaning that more people are able to play tennis to a high level.However, the main difference between the two countries is the infastructure at county level. In Spain each county or ´communidad´has its own academy where they take the best players of the region and train them 6 hours a day from the age of 13. This means that a very large number of children are given the adequate amount of training needed to reach the top of the game.In England there are very few players who are privileged enough to train professionally. In Surrey, who I trained with for a time, county training consisted of 2, 2-hour squads a week! Grass roots tennis is also a major problem. In England parents who want their son to play tennis must first enroll him in a club and then pay up to 30 pounds for an hour lesson. Tennis is a middle class sport in England and even they find it difficult. In Spain almost every tennis club runs a afterschool program where players can play 2 hours a day for less 30 euros p/w. Almost every top Spanish player started this way and almost every top Spanish player came through their county or private academies.Alex Ward has been training in Spain for a long time, as has James Ward (no relation), and Andy Murray spent his most formative years here in Barcelona. Our best players should not feel that they have to move to Spain in order to have a chance, but they do, and we must change.
Fresh from seeing off Ryler Deheart a day earlier, Ward saw off another American in Dent 7-5 0-6 7-6 (10/8) to earn himself a spot in the quarter-finals ..."I've never played a match quite like that," the 20-year-old Ward told the LTA website. I thought I played well throughout the match but I had a bit of a blip in the second set but I'm glad to get through it. I had quite a few match points in the tie break but I just kept believing in myself and thinking positive thoughts."
..... The process of selecting players for LTA funding starts at a very young age. The AEGON FutureStars programme is made up of a group of roughly 400 promising players who range from the age of eight to 23. Those that show the most potential are promoted to Team AEGON , a group of more than 40 players aged from 13 to 27 that are provided with full training support at either the NTC or a training performance centre of the player's choice, as well as receiving substantial funds towards travel and a range of sport science support. After 18 months in his post as women's junior tennis manager, Iain Bates strongly disagrees with the suggestion that British juniors have too much handed to them on a plate. "The perception is one that exists and that we're not going to change apart from with hard work, good success and the kids putting their minds to the training," Bates told BBC Sport."If the media spotlight was present 52 weeks a year it would be a lot easier for everybody to understand the quality of these players, how hard they work, the level of success that they have. It's a lifestyle sacrifice. They give every minute of every day they have towards their tennis. "The reality is we're a big federation and we do have resources but I think our job is to make sure those resources are allocated to the right players and to the players that have a chance to go on and potentially make the top 100.".....
