THE TIMES: Andy Murray and LTA to be wiped off world tennis map by Marsel Ilhan

[SoBad]

If Ilhan’s Turkey defeat Britain’s Davis Cup team on the Eastbourne grass in July, the grand slam nation will be relegated into Group Three of the Euro-African Zone, the lowest level of the competition.

It must, therefore, be more than a little concerning for the Lawn Tennis Association that the 22-year-old seems to be improving with every tournament he plays, including here at ’the fifth grand slam’ on the purple cement of south Florida. So far, he has come through qualifying and won a round in the main draw.

If anything could provoke the locals in sleepy Eastbourne into torching the deckchairs in a protest bonfire on the esplanade, it would be if Britain’s men’s tennis team are demoted into the same group as Andorra, Armenia and San Marino, and Ilhan is the person who can make all that possible the weekend after Wimbledon.

So the LTA ought to start putting together a large file on 'How to Stop Ilhan’, as he could do some damage by the seaside this summer; you could even go so far as to suggest that the Turk is going to have the future of British tennis, and perhaps even the future of some of the LTA’s executives, on his strings.

To think that, when Ilhan was growing up in Uzbekistan, there were times when he could not practise because his family could not afford to string his rackets. Five years ago, he and his mother moved to Istanbul, he has been helped by the Turkish Tennis Federation, and soon he will have the opportunity to take a swing at Britain.

“We could make some big history by beating Britain, that would be a surprise for the Turkish people. I will try to do everything to win,” he said.

If Lithuania can defeat Britain, then why can’t Ilhan’s Turkey? Ilhan’s punchy groundstrokes have taken him into the second round of the Sony Ericsson Open, and he has hopes of leaving the city as a top-100 player. After the world No 125 defeated Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas in an hour on Thursday, it will be interesting to see what happens next against Argentina’s Juan Monaco.

When Ilhan qualified for last year’s US Open, he became the first Turkish man to feature in the main draw of a slam, and he won a round, and he also made the second round of this season’s Australian Open. All those results have come on hard courts, but it does not sound as though he is one of those players who, on stepping on a lawn, suddenly forgets how to hit a forehand. “I like grass more and more,” he said.

It is not altogether clear whether Andy Murray, who opens the defence of his Miami title against America’s Mardy Fish, will be in Eastbourne, and if he isn’t, Ilhan will be the highest ranked player at the tie.

If this has so far been a good week for Ilhan, it has been a poor one for Wayne Odesnik, an American in the top 100, who could receive a two-year ban after he admitted in an Australian court that he had imported vials of human growth hormone into the country before January’s Australian Open.

What do you think about the upcoming Davis Cup encounter?

 

[prattle128]

Two teams I really don't care about, but I guess I'd go with Turkey if I had to pick one, since you might consider them the underdog in the whole situation (and I'm such a sucker for the underdog story lol).

 

[Ambivalent]

I would lol so hard if Britain lost.

 

[heretoserve]

Sweet article. For sure would make a difference for British tennis.

 

[SoBad]

Sweet article. For sure would make a difference for British tennis.

Beautifully written, isn't it. And yes, if Murray were to pull it off against Marsel, that could be a defining moment in the Scott's career. What I do find peculiar is that even the British press are notably reserved when it comes down to betting on Murray vs. Marsel.

 

[Underhand]

Murray v Ilhan showdown? Wow. New page in the Book of Tennis History.

 

[David_Is_Right]

I think we need to lose in order for the LTA to change.

 

[SoBad]

 

[DanaKz]

Come on.
Marsel is inconsistent: he lost to Niland at home.
He looks a little bit cold - public's agitation never make him "rocking and firing" as Tsonga or Gonzales, he looks very introverted, so "Davis Cup athmoshere" won't make him better than he is.
In the other hand it won't make him worse than he is.
But let see what his level is? He never played grass on ATP level.
He played challengers grass four times - and he lost twice.
No futures on grass.
He is not good in doubles.
There are no second guy to win third single in Turkey's squad.

And on the other side - all these boys from GB playing on grass from their birth, and very good double team.

There is no need to force Murray to play.

 

[SoBad]

Come on.
Marsel is inconsistent: he lost to Niland at home.
He looks a little bit cold - public's agitation never make him "rocking and firing" as Tsonga or Gonzales, he looks very introverted, so "Davis Cup athmoshere" won't make him better than he is.
In the other hand it won't make him worse than he is.
But let see what his level is? He never played grass on ATP level.
He played challengers grass four times - and he lost twice.
No futures on grass.
He is not good in doubles.
There are no second guy to win third single in Turkey's squad.

And on the other side - all these boys from GB playing on grass from their birth, and very good double team.

There is no need to force Murray to play.

Thanks for your detailed opinion on this. We need to be careful not to infer too much from isolated results against certain players, and it could also be argued that Niland is just a bad match-up for Marsel. Marsel clearly rises to big occasions, he could lose to no-players like Niland in no-name challengers, but would also cruise through the likes of Grosjean and Rochus in slams.

Yes, he lacks experience on grass and in big matches, but has only been starting to find his game very recently. In fact, Marsel has a big game that is well suited for fast surfaces.

Even in the best of times, Marsel would be nearly favourite against Murray in a big match. Now considering that Murray’s game has been in shambles since his shameful loss in the Australian Open final, I don’t see how this particular singles match-up could possibly be competitive. Of course, only time will tell.

 

[Breaker]

Unfortunately for Ilhan, he ran into GOAT contender Hewitt to end his run in Barca. He would have surely won the tournament if avoiding Hewitt and Almagro in the draw.

 

[shadows]

Ilhan will dominate Murray and send the overrated British team back where they belong.

 

[Becksx1]

You guys are jumping the gun who even said Murray will play?

He deliberatly made him self unavailable for the last tie because he wants the other players to get wins and gain experience as theres no point him turning up and winning 2 matches and great britain losing 3-2. He wants the other players to win at the lower level before he will return. He might come back just to stave off some embarrassment for britain but then he will most likely make him self unavailable so that great britain again lose to some lower tennis nation and are then back in an embarrasing play off again.

 

[SoBad]

Unfortunately for Ilhan, he ran into GOAT contender Hewitt to end his run in Barca. He would have surely won the tournament if avoiding Hewitt and Almagro in the draw.

Once you have a couple of slams under your belt, you are in the GOAT discussion. Hey - just ask the GOAT! I congratulate great Hewitt on outbattling Ilhan in tough 3 sets at Barca. What I do note is that Hewitt is vastly underrated as a clay-courter, because his slam titles were on grass and hard. Hewitt is more dangerous than ever on clay now, and clearly very confident, entering Barca for the first time in years. Clay is probably the worst surface for Ilhan's big game, but still Hewitt deserves all credit for battling it out in three tough sets against Ilhan.

 

[Mustard]

In 2001 Davis Cup, Hewitt beat a prime Kuerten on clay in 3 straight sets, in Kuerten's hometown of Florianopolis.

 

[abraxas21]

I think we need to lose in order for the LTA to change.

I was thinking more or less the same. A win for Britain could be worse in the long term.

 

[zapvor]

lol isnt the budget for LTA staggering

 

[Dream_On]

The LTA are pathetic, really pathetic.
New Davis Cup captain and new head of mens tennis's resume is ****, they only appointed him because he is murrays friend and because of that murray might be pursuaded to play.
The form murray is in right now, he might even lose to this Marsel guy.. I really hope a good thing could come out of this tie if he plays bogdanovic and he saves britain from relegation.

 

[SoBad]

In 2001 Davis Cup, Hewitt beat a prime Kuerten on clay in 3 straight sets, in Kuerten's hometown of Florianopolis.

Hewitt is amazing on clay, straight sets over prime Kuerten in 2001 DC and now prevailing in tough three set match over Ilhan in Barcelona!

 

[Rhino]

I doubt Murray will play. Could be another opportunity to see Bogdanovic wiped off the world tennis map again though.

Boggo has already lost to Ilhan this year 4-6, 4-6