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month, britishtennis.net does interviews with the players, keep
checking this page for the latest and also our forum which gives you
the opportunity to submit questions Katie gunning for place in Aussie Open main draw 
With Tim Henmans retirement from the mens game last month Britain now has just Andy Murray in the mens top 100 singles players and with just 3 others inside the top 300, it seems unlikely that will change in the near future. However, in contrast there is growing optimisn in the womens game where Britain has 7 players in the top 300 and both Anne Keothavong and Katie OBrien closing in on the top 100 plus Naomi Cavaday and Elena Baltacha have made huge ranking leaps to reach the top 200.
Katie in particular has made huge strides over the past 12 months, now regularly making the latter stages in challengers and winning WTA matches not just on the green grass of home but overseas, a rarity for female British players in recent years. A couple of weeks ago she made the quarters of Taskhent, the first time shed reached that stage in a WTA.
The grass court season results really catapulted her up the rankings after qualifying and winning a round at the elite tier 1 event at Eastbourne and then hitting the headlines with her round 1 win at Wimbledon. Since then shes been working a lot with the elite German coach Jens Gerlach (former coach of Anastasia Myskina).
Speaking after a rd1 win at the Glasgow 25K she said "It's great to have someone of his experience in my corner and I really believe he can help me to achieve my goals. Jens is also in charge of Amanda Elliott and has his responsibilities within the LTA, so although he tries to be around as much as possible, he cant be with me for every single tournament. I think its good for me to work things out for myself now and again. The LTA have clearly stated that theyll fund an individual coach once a player reaches the top 75 and I stand by that policy. Although, at present, I am very happy with my set up with Jens and with the LTA at the NTC."
"Jens is in charge of my tournament schedule, but Nigel (Sears) has some input too. I will always discuss my schedule with Jens before finalising anything, as it wouldnt make any sense to follow a schedule that Im not happy with !!"
One of the common reasons jounrnalists cite (usually after a series of first round exits at Wimbledon)for lack of elite British tennis players is a lack of fitness and desire compared to other countries particularly Russia where tennis is often seen as a route to a better life. These claims tend to be cheap shots, its hard to generalise like that but the recent reprimanded antics of the Bebo pair have sparked speculation that fitness may be an issue further down the rankings ladder in British tennis. Katie said: "I think these issues about fitness and desire have been blown out of proportion. Perhaps, there is a slight lack of understanding in this country about what it takes to be a professional athlete, but I think most of the players are receiving better guidance now. At the end of the day, I just look to take care of myself. I would hope that nobody would ever question my desire. Im not going to pretend I didnt have any fitness issues before, but Id like to think that Ive addressed most of them now. Physically, I feel better than Ive ever done right now !."
However Katie firmly believes that the decision was a correct one and the benefits were always going to be more evident in the long-term.
"I don't for one minute regret taking this time out for a training block, as I think it has turned out to be hugely beneficial. It was important not to get carried away after Wimbledon, and there were definitely areas in my game which needed to be addressed. They might not have been apparent in my results right away, but I think I made some big improvements in my game, and I feel like a much more complete player now. This time allowed me to build up a good physical base as well, which has set me up for the rest of the year. It was also my first time working with Jens, so it was good to get to know each other a little bit too." "I wouldnt deny that my results at the end of the summer were a little disappointing, but you have to consider that I was still a little inexperienced competing with the better players on a regular basis outside of a grass court. Despite this early lack of success, I always felt that I was improving on a daily basis and Jens helped me to believe that the results would eventually take care of themselves if I continued to put the work in."Currently ranked 144, shes aiming to make the cut for Januarys Australian Open. It would be the first time shes gained direct entrant to a grand slam and to have a chance shell have to get to 110 or higher by the end of the season.
"I'll be playing challengers for the rest of the year. After Glasgow, Im playing a 25K in Istanbul and then another three 25Ks in Australia, followed by a 75K in China and a 75K in Dubai. Its quite an intense schedule, but I want to push as close to the 100 mark as possible to set me up for 2008. In the new year, I'll be looking to play as many WTAs as possible."
With many players starting to feel jaded after a long gruelling season, October and November can be a good time to take advantage and rack up the points. Katie certainly feels her goal is within reach, "Even though I'm playing only challengers until the end of the year, if I can do consistently well in these tournaments, there is no reason why I cant aim to push for a place in the AO main draw."
The last British player to reach the top 100 was Sam Smith back in 1999. Since then several players have come close; Louise Latimer, Anne Keothavong and Elena Baltacha but none of them have been able to make that final push from challenger level to competing regularly on the main tour (though Keothavong and Baltacha have both been severely hampered in this by injury). Its a transition many players never make. Along with other British players like Sarah Borwell, Katie feels that the big difference between those in the top 100 and those ranked 100-150 is more psychological than technical
"I think mental toughness is a key factor. Every point counts on the WTA - you cannot afford to have any mental lapses. On the whole, most players hit the ball well at Challenger level, but you can get away with making some loose errors and still come through. I also think that the top players have a much more disciplined approach to all aspects of their tennis career on a daily basis. Its this attention to detail that makes the difference. Obviously, there are some players who have been blessed with so much talent, that they were always going to succeed, no matter what, but there are many ordinary players out there who have just worked extremely hard to be where they are." February interview: Graeme Dyce  Graeme
is the
current British junior no 1 and is ranked in the world's top 30
juniors. In January he won the Australian Open boys doubles, becoming
the first British player since Andy Murray (US Open boys singles 2004)
to win a slam.He's currently heading to South America for a series of tournaments. Britishtennis.net caught up with him to ask a few questions.... Q: What are your aims for 2007 in juniors and men's tennis? Do you plan to start playing more futures soon ? Graeme: To improve my junior ranking, hopefully get seeded in the slams, do well in the slams and start playing more futures towards the end of the year Q: You have had successful doubles partnerships with both Bradley Cox and Harri Heliovaara. Who will you choose to play with in case they are both available in the same tournament ? Graeme: I play well with both but it would have to be Harri considering the success we've had Q: We read on the LTA site that you were keeping your options open and taking your SAT exams. Are you still planning to take the US collegiate route or do you intend to go pro in the next year or so ? Graeme: Still undecided, I want to keep my options open Q: What key advice has Judy Murray given over the past few months ? Graeme: Mainly where I can improve and what needs to happen in order for me to make a successful transition from junior to senior tennis Q: Brad Gilbert said about you "Graeme has good groundstrokes but he has to look to take the ball on much more and improve his speed around the court"... are they things which you are working on at present or plan to work on in the near future ? Graeme: I feel these are going to be important areas if I'm going to succeed in the next couple of years so I'm paying close attention to them Q: Are you planning to spend more time working with Brad Gilbert this year as Brad's contract includes spending time with top British juniors ? Graeme: I'm not sure but hopefully it'll happen whenever possible as it's obviously great to get on court with him Q: Do the coaches at Nick Bollettieri's academy focus on any particular parts of your game at the moment, or is it more of an all round development ? Graeme: It's more all round development though they are trying to get me to play closer to the baseline and we're working on finishing points quicker Q: What area of your game do you feel you would like to develop ? Graeme: I want to work on my movement up the court from baseline to net to finish of points. I also want to work at taking the ball on the rise more Q: What do you consider to be your biggest weapon at the moment ? Graeme: My serve Q: Which tournament would you most like to win and why ? Graeme: It has to be Wimbledon because of the history and the fact that it's Britain's grand slam Q: Who's your favourite player in the mens game ? Graeme: I have 3. Safin, Federer and Berdych Q: What's your favourite surface ? Do you feel that your game suits clay well ? Graeme: Slowish hard courts. My game suits clay fairly well, but I need to learn to use my strengths on it more effectively Q: Do you prefer to play doubles or singles and which side of the court do you play in doubles ? Graeme: I prefer singles, play the advantage side in doubles Q: What's the atmosphere like in your squad at IMG ? Is Krajicek still speaking to you after you and Haari dumped him out of Oz Open? Graeme: Haha, I haven't actually been back there since but i heard he took it pretty well and admitted we were far too good ! Q: What are your aims for the upcoming trip to South America, are you looking forward to the challenge of competing at altitude and coping with the biased umpires and line judges ? !! Graeme: South America's always an interesting place to play, just have to go with the flow and hopefully come out of the trip with a few good results Q: What did it feel like to win the AO ? Graeme: It obviously felt pretty good, it's always nice to win a tournament but to win a grand slam was something really special Q: (Lots of people submitted the above question so someone else wants to know) What does it feel like being asked, what did it feel like to win the AO all the time ? Graeme: Haha, it doesnt bother me, just reminds me that I did win it ! Amanda Keen interview at the Stockholm 25K  It
is Feb 14 and
we're 6
weeks into the year. So
if you're a professional sportsperson, earnings of $539 must mean that
things are a bit tight.Amanda is ranked no 4 in Britain and 222nd in the world and that's her prize money to date in 2007. If you are the 222nd best hedge fund trader in the world, you probably own half of Africa. If you're the 222nd best tennis player in the world, you are living on a sporting knife-edge every day. Yesterday in Stockholm, Amanda played the 19 year old German Korina Perkovic who is ranked 370th in the world. Korina lists her interests as shopping and talking to friends. Amanda who is 10 years older has a degree in English and has worked as a teacher. She is married too. Maybe it's in the genes - her mum Christine Truman got to a Wimbledon final. Amanda missed the buzz of being a 'proper' athlete so having previously hung up her competitive racket, she has gone back onto the tour, more determined than ever. But it's hard. Stockholm is the 4th leg of a European tour which includes Milan, Tipton and Sutton. "The place in Italy was the worst" recalls Amanda, "They rolled the courts onto the floor of a kids gymnasium and you could hear the bells ringing for class throughout the day. The toilets were indescribable. The same ones that all the kids were using. I don't think any player went for a comfort break during their matches." No one tends to watch the 'wannabes' of the tennis circuit. "That makes it hard too," Amanda adds. "You're in the middle of Belarus or Poland playing on a court that's 3 or 4 away from the main area and you have to keep telling yourself why you're there. That this is a job and if you don't buckle down you'll be out and heading for somewhere else the next day." It's lonely too. Amanda travels with her hitting partner Mark Beim without whom it would be a very solitary life. "I wouldn't exactly call the tour chummy and pally," she says wryly. "it's dog eat dog out there. We're all desperate to get out of this level of competition and move up to the fringe of the top 100. We want to play in events where they actually put you up in hotels and meet you at the airport. Not, as we are at the moment, spending half our time organising how we're going to get somewhere and where we're going to stay." Airport. Hotel. Practice court. Match. Practice. Hotel. Groundhog day. Even if the hotel is a dump - "just don't get me started on the one we stayed in in Minsk, I had the most horrific bout of food poisoning" Amanda says - the longer you stay there, the better things are because you're still in the tournament. Amanda wants to be among the world's top 150 by the summer. On present rankings that would take her up to no 2 in Britain. "People really have no idea how competitive it is" Amanda says, "I'm convinced the difference between being 200 and 100 is largely down to luck. But you need to be higher up the rankings, to get that bit of luck. So you train and you train and you train and every time you set foot on a court, you set yourself targets. When you win, you get a high like no other. That's why I'm out here. There's nothing like it. I do still love the competing even if I am at the last chance saloon. Amanda waited until 7pm before going on court against the young German. Two hours later she was out, beaten in straight sets. But she is still chasing the dream. Next stop Doha. "Don't anyone ever say that British players don't want it enough," Amanda says definately. "We all want it desperately. It's just that so many others do as well." From: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2007/02/14/soinve14.xml Wroclaw challenger: Interview with Peter Lundgren (coach of Alex Bogdanovic and Josh Goodall) Q: Having been at grand slams, how does it feel to be at quite a small, modest tournament like ours? Lundgren: Great. Sometimes it's good to go back to basics and find out what's going on behind the scenes ... to observe young sportsmen, who may reach the top of the rankings one day. Everything is organized superbly and it is really pleasant. Q:Which of the tennis stars did you work best with ? Lundgren: They are all different but I have good memories of all of them. Roger Federer is a great guy and I keep in contact with him. It was tough with Marcelo Rios, he was a bit rebellious when I worked with him. The best relationship I had and still have is with Marat Safin. Q: How did you begin working with Alex Bogdanovic ? Lundgren: I signed a contract with the British tennis federation and they invited me to work with able young players like Bogdanovic. He's a really great guy, we work very well together, and I think he can go a long way in the future. I work with the whole Davis Cup squad, so I get the chance to see lots of players. Initially, I am looking after Alex and also Josh Goodall, who is now around 230 in the rankings Q: Why after so much success with global stars of the tennis court did you decide to work with players who are just starting out ? Lundgren: I worked with leading tennis players for 10 years. It was finally time for a change. You can't do the same thing all the time, you must take up new challenges, even change something or other for fun. I now have the chance to find out if I really am a good coach. Q: Many promising players have been competing in Wroclaw this week, have any in particular made an impression on you ? Lundgren: I don't want to pick out any particular player. The level of tennis I have seen this week is very high - and that applies to virtually everyone. We have had a chance to watch some really fantastic matches. It's a pity that there aren't more fans in the stands, I hope that next year it will be a lot better. It is worth coming along, because for a Challenger, this is a fantastic tournament. Of course, Bogdanovic stands out. (laughs) It's true that he lost to Zib, but the Czech is a good and experienced player. You don't win all the time at the start of your career. Q: Having watched Sergei Bubka this week, do you think that he can become as big a star as his famous father ? Lundgren: I've already seen him several times. He's a good tennis player. It's clear that he really wants to win and has the weapons to achieve it. He has the fire inside him. But there are lots of players on the same level. Who will end up a star is hard to tell. Q: How much can the coach contribute to this ? Lundgren: It strikes me that the character of each player is key to his success. The people he works with are second in level of importance. January interview: Morgan Phillips
British tennis magazine: Paul Hutchins interview Paul Hutchins is the new head of mens tennis at the LTA. This month he gave his thoughts on how British tennis needs to progress in the LTA magazine: Hutchins would like Peter Lundgren to link with Josh Goodall and Alex Bogdanovic on a close basis. Lundgren will also be working with Richard Bloomfield and his coach. For the players who haven't got coaches, they'll be working more directly with Lundgren and Annacone. He feels that at the LTA, they haven't proved that they're experts at taking players on particularly from 16 plus, "We haven't maximised the players' ability, too many of them haven't fulfilled their objectives." Hutchins says "For someone like Josh Goodall who rarely serve-volleys, if he's going to develop over the next couple of years, I'd like him to tap into Peter and Paul and look at his game and say 'Where am I going to be in two or three years time with my game.' " He aims to place more of an emphasis on doubles, especially as we've got quite a few very talented doubles players coming through the rankings. He thinks that James Auckland, Jamie Delgado, Jamie Murray and Ross Hutchins can all reach the top 50 soon and plans to hold training camps with top Canadian coach Louis Cayer (who's worked with elite pairs like Knowles and Nestor, Erlich and Ram) and is currently coaching Jamie Murray. Hutchins says "There are certain players in British tennis who I would like to play more doubles in order to improve their singles. I would love Jamie Baker to play more doubles. Richard Bloomfield is a good doubles player and I would like players who in my opinion need need to come up the court more and serve-volley more in singles, to play doubles." Hutchins also wants players to travel more and earn ranking points in less convenient places "We've got too many domestic futures tournament, too much in the comfort zone. They're not tough enough and not on the right surface. I would rather have less domestic events and encourage people to go out more onto the international circuit. If you look at Tim Henman and Andy Murray, where they got their points when they were young - Tim got his in Malaysia, India, USA and Andy won them in Spain and France. In Britain, we have a high percentage of the same players in each of the futures that we hold. I want them to go to Belgium, France and Germany instead each week. I want them to go to Malaysia and India to make them tougher." December interview: Jessica Ren  In
December,
Jessica became the first British player since Andy Murray to win a
title at the Orange Bowl, the unofficial junior world championships.
Jessica only dropped 1 set on the way to winning the 12&U
title.
Afterwards, Britishtennis.net caught up with her and asked a few
questions:1) Which was the most memorable match for you from the Eddie Herr International and Orange Bowl over the last two weeks ? Jessica: My most memorable match was my semi-final match against Laura Robson at Orange Bowl, it was great to emerge winner as every point was tough. 2) How many hours of tennis do you play each week? And also, how do you balance education and tennis? Jessica: I play around 20 hours of tennis a week, and tennis sessions are arranged around my school timetable. 3) You trained at Nick Bollettieri’s academy for a few months. Do you have plans to base yourself there or some other residential academy on more permanent a basis? Jessica: I trained at Bollettieri's in preparation for Orange Bowl and have no plans for training there or anywhere else on a full-time basis. 4) Which tournament would you most like to win in your career? Jessica: I would really like to win Wimbledon as it is the home Grand Slam. 5) You are now rated as one of the best 12 year olds in the world and you also compete with success in the 14 and under circuits. What is your aim for 2007? Jessica: In 2007 I would like to achieve a high under 14 ETA ranking as I cannot play ITF's until September when I am 13. It would be great to do well at Les Petite As (Tarbes) and under 14 Orange Bowl next year as well. 6) Does you find your sister's success inspires you ? Is their a lot of rivalry between you ? Jessica: My sisters success inspires me because I always want to do better than her in tournaments so we do have a rivalry and competition. 7) Who do you regard as the toughest opponent you have faced in your age group? Jessica: My toughest opponent in the age group is definitely Laura Robson, as most of our matches are tough. 8) What does it feel like when you play Jennifer in a competitive match? Do you feel like she is your sister and someone you want to do well, or do you treat her as just another opponent? Jessica: I always try to treat her as a normal opponent, but it's quite hard because she treats me like a younger sister and she tries extra hard not to lose to me! 9) Did it feel a bit bad to beat someone like Sophia Kovalets, with whom you won the doubles title at Eddie Herr ? Jessica: It didn't feel bad because it's hard to feel bad when you've won! 10) You have lots of tournament success in the last few years. Which one was your favourite? Jessica: Probably Orange Bowl because it's such a great and famous tournament-everyone wants to win Orange Bowl. 11) Who are your favourite tennis players? Is there anyone in the present women’s Tour whose game style you admire and try to follow? Jessica: My favourite players are Roger Federer and Kim Clijsters. I do not try and follow anyone else's game-I just play my own style. 
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After Wimbledon
Katie opted to
take a month-long training block to work on areas of her game. It was a
decision which drew some criticism from fans who felt she would have
been better heading for the July US hard court swing given her good
form and the weakness of some of the draws, especially when she went
through a lean spell once returning to the tour in August.