[robbie]

 ^...absolutley spot on

[clementine]

The press don't want to hear the truth, they couldn't care less if Andy and the other top guys destroy their bodies.  They just want their copy like the TV moguls want armchair bums on seats.  It's dismissive and disrespectful to say the players are spoilt with their ten-star hotels, limos and millionaire incomes, if it were that easy we'd all be doing it.  Only the guys at the top of the game really know the potential perils of having to punish their bodies beyond the point of return.

Andy has always been in it for the long haul, in his book he made it clear that he always takes physio and medical advice seriously.  These are vital issues concerning the health and safety of young, superfit sportsmen in their place of work.  The relentless ranking system means that the more successful a player is one year the tougher the going gets the following year.  Going deep into the big tournaments takes its toll on the body, not to mention the mental and emotional pressure of the associated media circus. 

If Andy was the greedy so-and-so some hacks have described him as, he'd be playing every tournament, blowing caution to the wind with his aches and pains, popping up in the dregs of the celeb press and becoming a one-dimensional robotic bore on court.  Thank god he is a man of principle, and is prepared to make a stand on points of order within his profession.  It is blatantly obvious that there are many unfairnesses in the world of tennis, but as it is not a fair world, most of the time the players grin and bear it.  But there are limits and these were exposed for the world at large to see at the USO in New York.  Andy, Nadal and Roddick were justifiably livid and their frustrations boiled over.

Tennis players are loners on court  but these modern-day gladiators have found a collective voice which hopefully will be listened to and acted upon.  Let us hope that good sense will prevail and that the current state of affairs with players dropping like flies will not be allowed to continue. 

[Iris]

Just heard part of the interview Sir Alex Ferguson gave to BBC about TVs hold over football matches.  I'll bet he does not get the same bad press Andy gets!

[Aileen]

Just heard part of the interview Sir Alex Ferguson gave to BBC about TVs hold over football matches.  I'll bet he does not get the same bad press Andy gets!

Ah but football is God!  What about the truly obscene transfer fees that clubs pay for top footballers - sums that run well into 8 figures!


Peter Bodo having a good go at Andy and Nadal here - and once again Andy is the villain of the piece -

Enough is enough, Murray and Nadal
 
http://espn.go.com/tennis/blog/_/name/bodo_peter/id/7007731/tennis-enough-enough-andy-murray-rafael-nadal

[Mark]

This is exactly what I was talking about earlier. Peter Bodo is very respected in the tennis scene, right?

It's a phenomenon only a lemming could truly appreciate. With European teeters on the edge of a multi-national economic collapse and nobody in the U.S. able to find a job -- never mind a decently paying, enjoyable one -- some top ATP pros are complaining that they're overworked and underpaid.

Lastly, lodging these complaints at this time of economic uncertainty (wait until tournaments start going under -- then we'll see how arduous the calendar is) seems at best tone deaf, especially in a world where nobody's life is being lost or saved because of tennis.

[Apollo]

I see that Federer has withdrawn from Shanghai citing exhaustion and minor injuries.  If that is true, it is yet more evidence of the overcrowded schedule but why does the cynic in me think he might be trying to avoid the players' meeting?  Without Djokovic and Federer there will only be Andy and Rafa to bang the drum and be branded 'trouble makers' by the media.

Djokovic and Federer should still be there to be in the meeting, even though they are not playing.  They should be there supporting the other players.

As far as getting paid big money, they deserve it when you consider the hard work they put in, the strenuous practice, and not getting much time off.  They miss family birthdays, holidays, and take a chance constantly on injuring themselves.  They play late matches due to bad weather and then have to be up early for their match the next day.

So I hope that Andy and Rafa can bring up some very good points at this meeting and make a difference in the scheduling.  Anyone who thinks they are the bad guys are wrong.....they are the courageous guys who hopefully will help bring change for the good.

[MT]

This is exactly what I was talking about earlier. Peter Bodo is very respected in the tennis scene, right?

It's a phenomenon only a lemming could truly appreciate. With European teeters on the edge of a multi-national economic collapse and nobody in the U.S. able to find a job -- never mind a decently paying, enjoyable one -- some top ATP pros are complaining that they're overworked and underpaid.

Lastly, lodging these complaints at this time of economic uncertainty (wait until tournaments start going under -- then we'll see how arduous the calendar is) seems at best tone deaf, especially in a world where nobody's life is being lost or saved because of tennis.

I think Bodo is making a valid point and if Andy has a PR team they should be making absolutely sure he doesn't get involved in this debate any further. Whether he is right or wrong in his views the vast majority of UK will see it as whingeing from a multi millionaire at a tough time for them.