Wimbledon - Draper: Players unprofessional
Eurosport - Fri, 15 Jun 10:39:00 2007
Wimbledon - Lawn Tennis Association chief Roger Draper has launched a scathing attack on British players for underachievement and lack of professionalism.
"Probably my biggest disappointment this last year was that the behaviour of people in British tennis is not really conducive to winning and success," Draper said.
"You've got to give people opportunities but, after a couple of years, you've got to say 'Look, it's probably not going to happen, you probably should go off and do something else'.
"It's been a pretty bad culture in British tennis, largely due to the lack of success. Everyone has their own views but at times it's like running some sort of kindergarten.
Britain currently only have two male players - world number 9 Andy Murray and world number 54 Tim Henman - in the top 100, though Alex Bogdanovic is on the verge of cracking the ATP's elite.
The women have struggled even worse than the men, with top-ranked Briton Anne Keothavong floundering at 169 in the world rankings.
"Getting people aligned to a common goal is a huge challenge," Draper said of his 14-month tenure as LTA chief executive.
"Over the years, when you look back at the talent we've had, I think a lot of that talent has been wasted and it's been wasted because people haven't been leading professional lifestyles.
"That's why we've been bringing in people like Bill Sweetenham from swimming and some of the rowing guys.
"It's changing the culture and making sure that our athletes are educated, not just from a social point of view, but from a strength and conditioning point of view.
"Rafael Nadal doesn't look like he is from going out partying every night. He goes in the gym every day.
"People have got to either get behind what we're trying to do or go and do something else."
The LTA has brought in several big-name coaches such as Brad Gilbert, Paul Annacone, Peter Lundgren and Carl Maes to help in the effort to shape Britain's leading talent.
But Draper insisted that unless players would not be coddled, demanding quick improvement or harsh consequences.
"My buzz word for the next year is ruthless," said Draper. "We are going to have to be very ruthless with our players and our coaches.
"While we are going to give all the funding support and encouragement, we've also got to be pretty ruthless with people's attitudes and behaviours."
Eurosport - Fri, 15 Jun 10:39:00 2007
Wimbledon - Lawn Tennis Association chief Roger Draper has launched a scathing attack on British players for underachievement and lack of professionalism.
"Probably my biggest disappointment this last year was that the behaviour of people in British tennis is not really conducive to winning and success," Draper said.
"You've got to give people opportunities but, after a couple of years, you've got to say 'Look, it's probably not going to happen, you probably should go off and do something else'.
"It's been a pretty bad culture in British tennis, largely due to the lack of success. Everyone has their own views but at times it's like running some sort of kindergarten.
Britain currently only have two male players - world number 9 Andy Murray and world number 54 Tim Henman - in the top 100, though Alex Bogdanovic is on the verge of cracking the ATP's elite.
The women have struggled even worse than the men, with top-ranked Briton Anne Keothavong floundering at 169 in the world rankings.
"Getting people aligned to a common goal is a huge challenge," Draper said of his 14-month tenure as LTA chief executive.
"Over the years, when you look back at the talent we've had, I think a lot of that talent has been wasted and it's been wasted because people haven't been leading professional lifestyles.
"That's why we've been bringing in people like Bill Sweetenham from swimming and some of the rowing guys.
"It's changing the culture and making sure that our athletes are educated, not just from a social point of view, but from a strength and conditioning point of view.
"Rafael Nadal doesn't look like he is from going out partying every night. He goes in the gym every day.
"People have got to either get behind what we're trying to do or go and do something else."
The LTA has brought in several big-name coaches such as Brad Gilbert, Paul Annacone, Peter Lundgren and Carl Maes to help in the effort to shape Britain's leading talent.
But Draper insisted that unless players would not be coddled, demanding quick improvement or harsh consequences.
"My buzz word for the next year is ruthless," said Draper. "We are going to have to be very ruthless with our players and our coaches.
"While we are going to give all the funding support and encouragement, we've also got to be pretty ruthless with people's attitudes and behaviours."
