Pat Cash: Don’t expect miracles after Briton’s good week
James Ward has leapt into the spotlight at Queen’s Club but he needs to do so much more if he intends to stay there
The Sunday Times Published: 12 June 2011
Let’s put James Ward’s achievements at Queen’s Club into perspective. I hope he uses his experience in the Aegon Championships as a springboard to bigger things, in the next month and further along the track. But to suggest Britain has a bright star to stand alongside Andy Murray is crass.
As an Australian, I appreciate my country is wide open to criticism. From tomorrow, the country that produced more great champions than any rival will not have a player in the world’s top 100. Lleyton Hewitt’s early loss at the tournament in Halle, where he was the defending champion, means he’ll plummet to about 125 in the ATP world tour rankings. Nobody seems anywhere near talented enough to take up the Aussie baton. What we would give for somebody of Murray’s unquestioned talent and Grand Slam-winning potential.
In Britain and Australia, people are so desperate they promote players far beyond their accomplishments. A young guy does well in a big domestic tournament — Down Under it was Bernard Tomic at the Aussie Open and here it’s Ward at Queen’s — and people who really should know better start speaking in terms of superstardom. Get real; there’s far more to tennis than just a couple of weeks, and the ranking system is set up so players are graded on what they achieve over 12 months rather than capitalising on the charity of wild cards at home tournaments.
There is a reason Tomic, for all the hype back home, is ranked 173 in the world: he hasn’t won enough matches. It’s the same for Ward, who because of his Queen’s exploits will go to a career high of 176 when the new rankings come off the ATP computer tomorrow.
There is, though, one crucial difference. Tomic is only 18 whereas Ward turned 24 in February, which makes him a couple of months older than Murray and Novak Djokovic. I know there is always the chance for a late bloomer but if he was going to reach the top at this game he should have been on the radar by now.
For most of the year Ward is stuck on the Challenger and Futures circuits, which can be a pretty soulless place. There’s a mix of players; the young ones who are good enough don’t stay long. Then there are the older guys, eking out an existence or looking to recapture better times. They can make pretty bad company.
I know. I went there at the end of my playing career when I was still under the illusion I could make it back. It’s a life of two-star hotels with stale croissants for breakfast and too many opponents who have a negative attitude and will try to influence sub-standard officials by hooking calls. It was one of the most depressing periods of my life. So many guys are just grinding it, week in week out, and it’s a case of trying to battle through the murky clouds before coming out into the clear blue sky of the main tour.
Nearly all are not equipped to go that high. Looking at Ward’s record over the past few months, I don’t see anything to shout about. He lost in the first round of qualifying at both the Aussie and French Opens. Apart from a couple of singles wins for Britain against the might of Tunisia, he has amassed just two wins and 11 defeats.
Clearly he likes the grass, because he reached the quarter-finals at Eastbourne last year with wins over Feliciano Lopez and Rainer Schuettler. But that run cost him the chance of playing the Wimbledon qualifiers. Ward complained when the All England Club refused him a wild card into the main draw and I have sympathy for him in that respect.
What do I make of his game? Clearly he’s got a good serve and uses his 6ft 3in frame to good effect. The numbers through the week at Queen’s were excellent. Going into the semi-final he’d hit 36 aces, held serve 94% of the time and was at 79% in points won off his first delivery. He has an effective double-handed backhand but there is plenty of room for improvement in most areas, especially shot selection.
I don’t know him. People who do say he is a nice guy with a tendency to get down on himself if things aren’t going well. Let’s hope the experience of reaching the Queen’s semi-final and guaranteeing a record payday of £22,500 will propel him to better things. As Billie Jean King said: a few points can make or break a career.
So let’s face reality. As yet Ward is not a megastar in the making. He’s done well this past week but there is far more to making the grade because tennis is an 11-months-a-year sport, not a couple of weeks on the grass. Some might call me harsh but if he is in the world’s top 100 this time next year, I’d be surprised. Let’s hope he proves me wrong.
