An Open Letter to Chris Kermode

Dear Chris

I caught some of your interview with Jon Inverdale on ITV4 yesterday re: considering how to keep tennis popular in the future.

You suggested in an age of shorter attention spans, no-one wants to sit all the way through a six-hour tennis match. Even a hardcore fan like me would find it hard to disagree.

However, part of the beauty of tennis is the scoring system that gives you ten minute games with multiple deuces & epic long matches. People can always dip in & out of the live TV coverage for the most exciting bits eg ends of sets; or even catch the five minute highlights on YouTube. The unique scoring system is part of the appeal that sets it apart from other sports.

By all means experiment with different formats like TieBreak Tens or Superset to showcase the #NextGen, but please keep the Grand Slams as they are. Just like Test cricket co-exists with the Twenty20 IPL.

Regards,

Sam Wheeler

Tennis Title Picks

My predictions for Roland Garros:

Dominic Thiem has one of the best clay records over the past year, but has yet to prove his pedigree at the very highest level. He's won a 500 & four 250 level tournaments, but has made just one Masters quarter-final. Nadal looks to have a very tough draw. He is in Djokovic's half & could face Fognini & Thiem in the 3rd & 4th rounds.

Murray's improvement on the red dirt is such that he has the best win percentage on clay  for the past 52 weeks. The Scot may have to get past reigning champ Wawrinka in the semis, & after that the Serb may be an obstacle too far in the final.

Who can stop Serena as she takes another crack at equalling Graf's record of 22 Slams ? Vika Azarenka was tipped by Henman. Her record on hard courts is stellar, but her clay court resume is far less impressive, & she is in Serena's half.

From the lower half, Halep & Garbine Muguruza would be my picks for the semi-finals. I have a feeling Muguruza can frustrate Williams and claim her maiden Slam.

Leicester Take the Laurels

What else is there to say about Leicester City and their phenomenal achievement? It’s indisputably one of the great underdog triumphs of all time. All the doubters- & this blogger- were expecting them to fall away but they just kept winning. Ranieri is by all accounts one of the nicest men in football, so it’s well deserved that the Roman finally got his league title laurels.

Next season the title race should be fiercely contested with Guardiola looking to work his magic on City, Klopp’s resurgent Liverpool, & Spurs have a taste for the top. The Foxes may struggle to finish in the top half. They will be a prized scalp, with the added demands of Champions League football, and will also have to deal with the changed mindset of being the hunted. Kante is a key player for their hyperactive style & may well be poached by one of the big boys.

The Cambridge crew in the Women's Boat Race gave their all in a losing cause but showed great determination & courage to finish the race. Many would have taken the easy option to abandon when they were taking on water in the choppy conditions.

“In the dust of defeat as well as the laurels of victory there is a glory to be found if one has done his best.”
― Eric Liddell