When was the last time GB had both a male and a female player in the Top 10?

I'm really thrilled with her progress.

Oh wow! There was so much at stake in that match, it just goes to show all the mental work Jo has done to block out everything and not worry about what she can't control and focus on what she can.

I like the video package the WTA has put together.

https://twitter.com/wta/status/784687316321366016

Andy to play Dimitrov in the final after Raonic withdraws injured

Which does highlight how crap British women's tennis has been for 30 years. Hopefully Jo's success can inspire the others to maximise their talents.

Hmm, I thought only the ATP had that clause. It would be pretty unusual though, to win a slam and not finish top 8 in the race...it'd mean you peaked for the slam and having a bunch of R1-2 exits everywhere else.


Maybe so, but Stace signed a ten year contract with Wuhan - eight years remain. Maria's high-handed remarks will only alienate potential Chinese fans. How foolish in a post Li Na world.


Ignore those malcontents. Armchair critics are defo best ignored.


I knew Raobot needed repairs after his last match, but I thought they'd be done in-house...

Not sure if this is a big advantage for Dimi or not. Muzza's match with Ferrer looked pretty gruelling, but it would've given him welcome rhythm.


Ooh, gosh. Well, Jo Durie entered the top 10 in '84...but we didn't have a top 10 male player then?

Roger Taylor, Buster Mottram, John Lloyd, Jeremy Bates - none of 'em made the top 10. It probably predates the rankings (1973). tennisman will defo know this.

Well done to Jo.

For years now on various forums / platforms, people have gone on about Britishness (especially with regard to the cricket team a few years back) but never, not once, have I seen anyone give a defined example of what the criteria should be.

Maybe I'm missing a beat though as perhaps, those complaining would tell me it's obvious in that what they want the criteria to be is a straightforward one of birth place; if you are born in the UK, you are British and qualify; if not you aren't / don't.

In this context, in the cricket world, I've asked if this meant that Ted Dexter and then Colin Cowdrey, who both became England captains in the '60's and in Cowdrey's case, was regarded as quintessentially English, were both born overseas and lived there early lives in Italy and India respectively.

I've never received a reply!

If people don't like it with players like Jo, then suggest how the criteria should change, don't heap your dissatisfaction with the system on the player.

Maybe in similar circumstances you'd be doing exactly as she has done?

Go on them take out the residential part of the criteria but maybe have a look at why it was put there in the first place. If this step were done worldwide, going back a bit, it would be interesting to see the nationality profile of a place like the United States from about 1825 onwards.

People have always criticised tennis players like Konta, but its perfectly fine to have South Africans playing for the cricket team, Jamaicans playing for the football team, Kiwis playing for the rugby union team etc...

Konta moved here when she was 14, became a British Citizen and has continued living in Sussex into her adulthood. She's represented GB for the Olympics and Fed Cup, yet still that isn't enough for people?

Just hope it doesn't get to her.

Ha, ha, now you're testing me.

Pre ATP Tour lists, there were still ranking lists produced by the ITF and in old ITF Year of Tennis year books, I've seen Roger Taylor at #8 when the game went open on 1968.

Wiki says he was #8 in 1970.

The Wiki page on Wade says that 'she was ranked in the World's Top 10 continuously between 1967 and 1979'. She was #1 in '73.

Mottram made top 20 and John Lloyd, top 30. Bates made top 100.

I think when Jo Durie was in the top 10, the British #1 was Mottram (Highest ranking #15).

A bit later came that well know commentator, star of personal insurance adds and late night DJ on Smooth Radio, Andrew Castle (who also, did not reach the Top 10 - highest ranking was #80)

So it looks like the Taylor and Wade were both in the top 10 back in 1970.

PS Reading through Wade's career, her record was terrific. Met her three times and did not get good energy from her! Cold as ice and very impersonal.

It's not as defined as the ATP's special dispensation clause, but it is in the WTA rule book. Highly unlikely it'll happen though, Garbine doesn't need to do a lot more and the cut-off figure will drop next week. So for those wondering, Konta will qualify if she beats Aga as with the 3805 Konta would have, the marker will dip below that.

Aga up next for Jo.

Yeah, but you are a Eurovision fan Irishguy. That means it's compulsory for you to like music from the best era ever...

When did we have two finalists at the same tournament?

I usually write a comment in response to the "oh Jo/Laura/Heather/Alijaz etc" aren't British saying you know what, these players identify themselves as British, who are we to say otherwise?

Why can't we just be happy for them!?

Great for Jo, so pleased for her.

I can never understand Wade. In my experience, people who come across as resentful of the success of others are very rarely successful themselves. Wade's success was before my time, and it comes as a shock to me when I see her record, because it doesn't tally with how she projects herself. I expect her to have a career more on a par with fellow grumpy-face - Lloyd.

I've seen it claimed that Wade is good friends with Sue Barker, but I find it hard to believe. They might hang out every now and then, but Sue seems so much nicer, warmer and more friendly. You'd assume that Barker had the greater success from how gracious she is. I can only assume that Wade enjoyed the glory of her success, and expected that to continue without any need for further effort. Meanwhile, Sue has built herself a very successful tv career, and has a great rapport with the current players.

It would be amazing if we could get a double British win tomorrow, but it's been a good week whatever. Hopefully Jo can consolidate a top 8 seeding for the Australian Open. I'm trying not to think too much about the prospect of Andy reaching #1. It's definitely plausible, but still a long way off, and I'll start to hope Djokovic loses early all of the time, and get annoyed at Andy if he doesn't finish the season in super-human form, which doesn't help anyone. Least of all myself.

Mo Farah was born in Somalia, but everyone loves him and thinks he's one of the greatest British athletes of all time. So why do people make a fuss about our tennis players original nationality / birth country?

Not everyone loves Mo....and they say exactly the same about him.

Indeed, it is a common theme, as a cricket fan it also happens to the Saffies that play for us.

Personally, I'm with you if they choose to compete for us, they're Brits.

Thank you, tennisman.

I'd forgotten about Roger Taylor (probably because I was busy mis-spending my youth around then). I thought we might have to go back to the era of Christine Truman or Ann Heydon-Jones.

And didn't South African Tony Greig only get to play cricket for England because one of his grandparents was ... Scottish?

I think anyone who's lived here for a few years should be entitled to be regarded as British if they want to represent Britain.

Indeed.

And as I said above, if they don't like it, they should call for the rules to be changed.

These athletes we've all mentioned may have chosen to represent the UK / GB but they have all done so within the current framework of the nationality rules.

I say again, the arguments all go out of the window whenever I've mentioned Dexter and Cowdrey. Presumably because these two had a strong image / perception as being 'English / British', especially Cowdrey with his upper class accent and place at the heart of Kent cricket and maybe also marrying the Duke of Norfolk's daughter?

Thing is, it's not about image / perceptions / accents, its about if you fit the current criteria.

And they are.

Not just entitled to but able to within the rules of nationality in which there has long been a residency part of the criteria.

You are welcome.

Of course, Ann HJ won Wimbledon in 1969, so may well have been in the top 10 as well as Wade and Roger Taylor.

With CT, our men (Sangster, Wilson, Knight etc) although good players at World level would not have been top 10, although I've seen no lists.

Crosses my mind that we could use the seedings lists for the GSlams pre circa 1966?

You forgot to mention presenter of breakfast tv

It may come down quite simply to basic personality traits / profiles.

Barker (who I met briefly just once) always comes across as a bit self deprecatory. But let's not forget she was in the top 3 in the World and won the French Open at her peak.

I'm not here to slag off Wade but I did hear tales of how she was a bit of a narcissist and also used to being treated like tennis royalty by the LTA.

Indeed, in one LTA Xmas event I was asked to play in (a relaxed pro-am type of affair where I made up the numbers when there was a last minute drop-out), Wade was not only a miserable cow, seemingly unable to smile / laugh all afternoon but played way too competitively for the event's nature and was given vast bouquets of flowers at the end as if it were an event for her.

Having been fortunate to attend the Tennis Fantasy Camp in Texas so many times, she could take a leaf out of how the likes of Fred Stolle and Roy Emerson handle such situations in a way that makes it fun for everyone and without suggesting in the slightest that the best players then and now on the court were them not the amateurs / others making up the numbers.

Excuse the name drop but my tennis writer friend Joel Drucker uses the term civilians when talking about the campers / amateurs / recreational players, one I like.

When there was a camper one year who seemed to be under allusions of grandeur about his tennis playing abilities, Joel said; 'He's a civilian, like the rest of us, whatever he thinks'.

PS One year, 2 Brits who thought they were the bees knees challenged Cliff Drysdale and Own Davidson, then in their 60's, to a challenge match (one pro set) played in front of the rest of the camp.

The Legend pair won 8-0

No further challenges by civilians of legends were made again!

Ha, ha, yes I did.