Will sports science improve the dire fortunes of Australian tennis?

Yeah , here is proof, while it is great Tomic is doing so well this week at wimbledon, had TA put that much thought and finance into a group of kids there would be depth and we may even be right up there with a chance to dominate Tennis once again. There were many kids who were very close in ability to tomic not that long ago , but sadly had NO other choice but to go off to college as their parents couldn't afford the sport. Tomic , was allowed to train with coach of HIS CHOICE and look at the outcome. If only TA had that foresight for more players than just him.

Now that Tomic is doing well why not give TA credit for their management and sound advice?! And his great technique is worth noting. Technique is relavent to development. The above comments indicate the issue of technique is a little too tough from some to handle.

Yes, the loss of Australian Tennis Magazine is a disaster. It's also a huge shame that Paul McNamee wasn't elected, he would have really shaken things up. TA seems to be a comfortable repository for ex-players. Unfortunately because most of them were competitive players, they've overlooked the importance of recreational players hence they've lost the fan/consumer base. Unlike other sports, they aren't keeping a national database, so they really don't understand what's happening at the coalface. My tennis club is typical, mostly elderly players with a coach for the youngsters, but no junior membership, no organised play for juniors, etc, etc. The reality is that the handful of elderly volunteers don't have the resources or knowhow to engage local youngsters in the game and they need help. If TA didn't have so much money, perhaps the game would die a natural death as Johnno suggests. But while TA has the money, local clubs are where resources need to be redirected, to get kids back on the courts. Hot Shots is a start, but unless there is follow up nothing will change.

Pearl you are SPOT ON, and the thing that infuriates me the most is that it should not just be the kids with wealthy families that can keep going with the sport, when you consider how much money TA have, Would be very interesting to see what TA pay the staff compared to what is spent on touring players. I totally agree on the heart thing and all TA does is break players hearts and minds, the youth policy wiped out a heap of talented players. This all must stop , before Australian tennis does end up in China. Considering TA even bought out the Australian Tennis Magazine sadly shows there is no democracy so unlikely much change. Those who work for TA system / board all seem to be buddies and sadly seem most interested in looking after each other long term

Johnno, tennis doesn't have to be expensive, most courts are council owned and clubs often pay peppercorn rents. Jim raises some very good points about TA's lack of accountability, what are their benchmarks? As long as we have a couple of champions they can fly under the radar and disguise the lack of depth in the game. The reality is that both our Davis Cup team and our Federation Cup team rely on overseas trained players - Carsten Ball, Jarmila (was Groth) and Rodionova. Lleyton is past his best. TA must kiss the ground that Sam Stosur walks on. Don, pretty much the only elite players we have are those whose parents can afford expensive coaching, so Johhno is right on that score. TA keep trying to produce silk purses out of sows' ears. Until there is a complete overhaul and resources are redirected to grassroots - getting loads of kids competing against each other, then allocating finances to the toughest competitors, we will keep going backwards. What really scares me is the thought of council courts being converted to the sports with greater demand. TA should be doing everything within its powers to make sure that never happens. As for sports science - Lleyton would probably have failed. Heart is the most important thing in any sport and you can't measure that.

Johhno, So you don't like Tennis ? Tax is s--t and is wasted, get over it. Rather it go to kids playing any sports since we all have to pay it after all. I agree though , it should not be so expensive especially when you see what the Aus Open generates, a big in balance to what players have to pay.

To be honest golf and tennis now seem expensive sports, sports fo the upper middle class or even people classified as mildly rich. Polo is an example of a expensive sports, forget the extreme sports skydiving, mountain climbing, skiing could be even put into that category some of those skiing disciplines(arial skiing and moguls). should we just give up and not m[out in any money into gold or tennis, as they are to expensive for the masses or should we just waster tax payers money incompetent managments that run TA. I'd say let the upper middle class and rich play golf or tennis at an elite level i mean in terms of paying for elite coaching, and send the talented kids to the gold coast if memory serves me correct pat cash has a tennis academy, or send them to the usa i the parents can afford it like soccer academies where kids relocate to joint ht beige junior clubs. Or maybe the AIS hand out 1-5 scholarships every 4 years in canberra land cheaper. If not who cares lets not waste our time on Golf or tennis, the whold world plays these sports now, not just us which is why did so well in davis cup, and if we don't produce any more tennis stars big deal if we lost the Aust tennis open soon, or have no luck in these sports, and stoic to the mass market sports unless the parents invest thorugh private sponsorship or there own money.It not that big an issue i can sleep well at night knowing soccer, rugby league, run-on, AFL, basketball are developing and Golf and tennis are floundering, coz o felt coaching costs to much for the regular middle class family , and court hire are to much. i DONT CARE IF GOLF OR TENNIS R.I.P and id love to challenge how many aussie sports fans care either let the parents or private investment pay for these 2 sports , i dotn see anyone supporting track and field field events , equestrian events or horse polo. No one cares either.

Seriously how do the sports commission stand for any of this ? It is good money down the drain, when the majority of Australian Players are traveling the world with no support , financial or physical at all. If TA are so right about it, if they have the right people in place then why was so much money spent laying blue courts > remember the Four Corners reports ( Taralgon tennis Club ) Now TA are saying it is lack of clay courts and the need for sports science to turn things around. TA are the best smoke screeners around, and yes Don is right , if only one dug deeper to find the truth of the problem maybe too many cooks spoil the both might be a start, and maybe a democracy that included the actual players and familys that put in most of the work might help. That is those over 17 who find out whats going on by then.

Yes TA are the kings of spin. But coaches approve suppport TA otherwise TA couldn't operate.So is it coaches or TA? Is it the chicken or the egg?! And aren't our tennis players coming from coaches all around the country?I And these coaches appear to operate with a different level of expectation than TA. While TA gets hammered for lack of top Aussies, the individual coach can biuld a fine repution from developing very good juniors who are unable to take the next step up.. So are coaches not giving them enough or should TA be able take them to the next level? Or is there much difference anyway because either way tennis coaches are in charge of the training?. So the coaches are in charge and they obviously are the tennis technique specialists., And bettter technique means means bigger weapons. And don't all players feel they could perform better with one ore two more bigger weapons? So if our top young players need to add the their arsenal what is being done about it? If we dug deeper into that one I thiink it could get very interesting.

All I know is sports science or no sports science, TA say they are accountable, yet results are dreadful. SO WHO IS ACCOUNTABLE, Tiley got in how many years ago , if he was hired to know what he was doing and turn things around, why NOW , how many years after he has gotten in has it been decided Sport science will fix things. I have never seen so much change or excuses, as there seems to be n the past six years, when our results are worse than ever. They keep naming these young hot shots, some who do not even play anymore. TA employment base is swelling with experts , five national academies at how much cost ,,, and where on earth are the results, Most players are not funded, just the few in AIS and then some one like Tomic , one player , gets a fortune spent on him and people question the depth. Needs a total overhaul not SPorts science, maybe needs independent people not a group of mates running the show patting each others ideas on the back.

Yes if they are pouring money into sports science then it's not working and yes taking players away from their coach is not working. My point was that if there is a problem with the coaching at TA then more players will suffer because they are lumped together at the AIS. So yes individual coaches makles sense. But how about Goran's serve? Isn't it techniquely brilliant? How can it not be? Don't the best players have the best technique on average? These questions shouldn't be ignored when when making recommendations on tennis development.

Don, So so if there is one system for EVERYONE, then problems will e magnified ??? How can that then be individualized ? Where TA go wrong is worrying too much about science and spending money on that , rather than treating players individually, EG firstly making sure they can work with a coach of their choice, and still being funded if need be for that, which is way more important than any sports science,,,, Ive seen more players go backward via having to leave the coach that helped them to be good in the first place than for any scientific reason... SO I cant see anything changing regardless of how much money they pour into sports science.

So Jim thinks Goran's technique is unco! OK why was it so awesome?! Science used correctly can allow for individuality - diet or technique. Tennis traing is still developing so if there is one system for everyone then any problems will be magnified. Solution - We have teachers and students - teachers re-examine their strategy that would be a great start. Teachers lead by example and students follow.

With Li Na winning the French, and primary school kids in China now learning the game, I give the Australian Open (aka the Asian Open) 10 years max. The Australian Open is superb, but when pressure starts building to move it to China, they will able to point at all their grassroots participation. What will we have to show for the hundreds of millions that TA has received from the Open? Nothing. No champions, no local interest (only 15 comments here so far) and no players. Someone may benefit from our state of the art sports science - but TA hasn't resourced local level tennis with the result that there is no depth in the game whatsoever.

Jim, I agree with you re the national academies - see my point on grass roots tennis. Of course I may have been over generalising re kids not being hungry any more - I'm sure there are quite a few that are, but generally speaking, it's not the same as our glory years. Trying to get the kids to play comp. tennis isn't that easy - half of them would sooner sit around with their x box - something most poorer european kids wouldn't have access to, and the problems only get worse once they get to 14 or 15 - too many distractions. Of course Australia has the tyranny of distance, which makes travel all the more expensive.

No one walks the same what comfortable for one player is not for another, you can not say science will make TA top players., humans are a natural being, they need good hard work and passion. Do you think if every one goes Gluten free, that will fix things. LOL Goran had the most unco technique but served more aces than any one in his time. TA have always has physio, strength and conditioning, etc so why all of a sudden are they making out this NEW SPORTS SCIENCE will change anything. Yes there is some science , but I think money better spent elsewhere , like touring players with coaches to start with.... making the game more affordable for everyone, and dropping youth policy's . That would make a way greater difference to begin with.

Well actually it is science!! Passion can be the driving force to develope good technique.

Tell me which players in the top ten , or 50 all have the same technique,? it is about passion, heart and love for the game, and people believing in players and those elements have been lost by TA...... many of the top players today have had the same coach all the way through. Unlike TA who play musical chair with players/ coaches, and thats when players loose belief and become confused. like I said it is tennis not rocket science.

Ben . . . well it's good to hear that there is still a light . . . flickering ? I compare the present day to when I was a boy, when whole families would descend on the local Tennis club, all in their whites, it really was an ideal family activity, something for everbody at every age. For many country towns the Tennis club was the heart, soul and hub of the community. This was the world that gave rise to a seemingly never ending line of Aussie champions - it just doesn't exist any more.