well next season HOPEFULLY Emma is back playing. I haven't enjoyed watching Jodie's game since the summer it feels like she cant hold her own serve.

Don't think she has much of a serve.

A fit Raducanu and Boulter would be a decent base for a really solid team.  Can hold the fort until the young ones come though in 3 or 4 years.  We finished 3rd in the BJK juniors, only lost 2 games all week, unfortunately both in the same match.

Burrage collapse after 4-0 up in first set good win for Boulter
Draper beat 2 good players this week but just missing out on the win and a place in the top 50

Davis cup next  thinking it will be Cam and Draper in singles Murray and Skupski in the doubles

that is if Cam plays

Think it is obviously Draper.  You'd take Cam over Murray, but both out of form.  Murray seems to be throwing away a few games from winning positions, so can't have him in the singles right now.  Do you ever consider Broady?  Good for team spirit and in his best form ever? 

Think you have to play Burrage today.  Got to be better playing a weak opponent today than someone much better when she next plays a BJK tie. She has put the odd bad game in, but played well again next time in the past.

They announced Burrage earlier, but it is now going to be Dart. Think Lumsden is there, so might be Lumsden Watson in the doubles?

Not entirely sure, but Dart should be good enough here.

Don't know what this means for Burrage though, future games are going to be harder.

Burrage collapse after 4-0 up in first set good win for Boulter
Draper beat 2 good players this week but just missing out on the win and a place in the top 50

Davis cup next  thinking it will be Cam and Draper in singles Murray and Skupski in the doubles

that is if Cam plays

Think it is obviously Draper.  You'd take Cam over Murray, but both out of form.  Murray seems to be throwing away a few games from winning positions, so can't have him in the singles right now.  Do you ever consider Broady?  Good for team spirit and in his best form ever? 

Think you have to play Burrage today.  Got to be better playing a weak opponent today than someone much better when she next plays a BJK tie. She has put the odd bad game in, but played well again next time in the past. 

Loads on today.

Draper in ATP final on tennis TV (grrr)
Billie Jean Cup on BBC
BJK junior semi which I think we can watch on YouTube, but USA were on just now.

Good chances to win all 3 here. 

Draper nearly 1/2 in the betting Vs someone way above him in the rankings to win his first ATP title.

Great News.  GL on day 2 Stu. 

good win for Draper today and a challenger tour win last week

Yeah he is looking good.  GB crushing in the BJK cup for younger people too.

You still in?  Good luck Stu, get it won.

Congrats on the birth Alex.  It is a tough old road, but love the joy the kids bring.

possibly not the right thread ,but am sure that some of you will be pleased to hear that the countdown champion, stato_1, who still posts on here a bit, shipped the sunday million for 100k+.

https://www.pokernews.com/news/2023/10/andrew-hulme-big-pokerstars-bounty-builder-series-win-44759.htm

Need to catch up on all the updates.  Hate the way they've ruined the Sunday Million, but would be so chuffed if I ever won that.  Congrats Stato. 

Was just listening to a podcast with John Campbell, he's mentioned in this thread quite a lot and was always interesting to listen to during the pandemic.

I find the whole Covid enquiry approach is pretty much guaranteed to ensure we learn almost nothing from the experience that will ensure we would handle something like this better in the future.

It seems way too focused on the Government's clown like behaviours, uselessness and corruption than the more serious issue of whether the nature of the generally supported response (lockdowns, speedy introduction of new tech vaccines, closing schools etc) were actually better than doing nothing and serve as any kind of model for a future response.

Think it is a bit of performance bollocks too. 

I wouldn't waste 30 seconds watching a John Campbell video these days. He makes fortunes telling the gullible what they want to hear, even when he knows the opposite is true (there are plenty of receipts).  I have a lot of sympathy for those that end up sceptical of vaccines, but don't extend my sympathy to those who deliberately made them that way. 

It is long beyond doubt that the vaccines were very successful and saved millions of lives; and that lockdowns, whether forced or voluntary, did the same.

You can argue about if and for how long schools needed to close, what we could do better for care homes etc, booster targeting etc. 

I am not sure what we can usefully learn though, the next pandemic could be entirely different.  It could be less, or more severe, than the last one; or it may be more lethal for children. So you can't say that we never need lockdowns again, or that we should never shut schools again etc. 

I am not sure if a bazillion pound enquiry is needed for that, especially when most of the participants seem mostly interested in protecting their own reputations.  Am all for profanity aimed at ministers though... More of that pls.

That's a final for Edmunds, now think it a futures 25, so 16 points atleast, 25 if he can get the win

it's a start

Klugman took a player just outside the top 100 to 3 sets should be an interesting watch over the next 6 seasons or so

think i seen her in the girls doubles event at Wimbledon or US open not sure which but name rings a bell

Mimi Xu beat Klugman last week, so that is another young UK prospect.  I don't think Klugman has ever beat her, but Xu is 18 months older.  Both now in the top 1,000.  Presumably both playing over half term and not missing too much school. 

FWIW we officially have 5 in the top 100 for men today as Broady has crept into the last spot. 

[Bangkok. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.It's Marmite City. You will love it, or you will hate it.]

Bangkok. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

It's Marmite City. You will love it, or you will hate it.


Why do people use the Marmite term then explain it?

Some people love to have it explained to them, others will hate it. 

Not getting any easier for Norrie, 17th in live rankings means unseeded and playing Fritz (1 seed) in the first round in Tokoyo. Draper playing Alec De-M 3am tomorrow morning.

Both gone

FWIW Edmund has won 3 matches at Edgbaston.

Of more interest for the future, Hannah Klugman has won 2 in an ITF W100 at Shrewsbury.  Just beaten Miyazaki.  She was the youngest to ever qualify for one and is still only 14.  

She will be the only 14 year old in the top 1000 on the WTA rankings; if she wins the next match, she'll be ranked higher than any 15 year olds. 

Didn't realise they had fallen so far, do they get the number 1 ranking back if they win today.

Just had a thought, Tara Moore has disappeared from the news.  Couldn't see any recent news stories, she has deleted her twitter and is now showing as a former tennis player on Wikipedia.  Wikipedia has no recent news and there is no reference for the "former".

I couldn't even find the length of her ban.  Did she just retire after getting suspended?  Or do we just assume it is what happened until hearing otherwise.  Quite a difference to Simona Halep who seems to still crop up frequently.

Saw Draper made the final.  Had a brief hope that we had 5 in the top 100, but Broady has been booted already.

Broady is up 7 places and back into top 100 without playing this week. According to https://live-tennis.eu/en/atp-live-ranking

thats the 5 men in top 100

I don't think they were ever officially in at the same time.  The temporary rankings delete the rankings from the same week in the previous year, but people can still overtake by the end of the week..

Broady is still listed outside the top 100, and don't think he has been officially inside this month. 

We giving up on Edmund yet?  Sad he can't even win in the first round of small ITF tournaments currently though one time was defeated by the heat.