A take on the funding cuts for British tennis players

By Geoff Nichols | Dec 12, 2014

A take on the funding cuts for British tennis players

It must be a major concern that when Andy Murray’s career finishes there will be no player to fill the void

Funding in sports is an evocative issue and rightly so. Sportsmen and women have in many cases committed a large proportion of their life to build a career. Detractors often claim that choosing a career in sports and effectively attempting to turn a hobby into a living warrants no sympathy if it doesn’t end well, but ultimately these people are pursuing their passion which is no less valid than any other career.

However, as many aspiring tennis players across the world discover, the road to success is never straightforward. In Britain tennis players are supported financially in the early stages of their career, but funding cuts announced last week are set to reduce the amount of help that young tennis players receive.

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The aim, naturally, is to increase the number of British players in the Top 100 and therefore support will allocated to players who are around this level. As an interesting aside, this criteria would only currently apply to two British players on the men’s tour. The first, Andy Murray, has career earnings upward of $34 million and so it very much self-sufficient.

The second, James Ward, has picked up his dwindling career to reach 107 in the world, but at 27 would still suffer from the new regulations. Rather than an incentives driven system, which the LTA clearly do not believe in, the funding cuts are a little too ‘carrot and stick’ like for my taste.

With players who have progressed beyond their major developmental years,beyond their mid-20’s, I think this approach is a valid one. Players who have not broken into the Top 100 by this time are unlikely to do so. However, for the majority of young players motivation is not in question. Fear of failure is probably already a factor for young players and this will only exacerbate it.

Here is a run-down of what the funding cuts really mean, taken from the BBC:

Coaching support will still be provided for players who meet their age-related ranking targets, but these will be rigidly applied.
The LTA will look to use the services of its in-house staff. World-class tour players may have alternative agreements in place which allow them to fund an overseas coach, but the days of an emerging player being given a pot of money to spend on any coach of their choosing are over.
British players who prefer to train overseas are unlikely to be funded in future. If parents opt to take their children out of the LTA system, they will more than likely have to foot the bill themselves.
Players over the age of 24 who have received cash incentives for reaching the latter stages of events below the ATP and WTA tours, will find bonuses harder to collect.

In support of the changes, I can understand the need for a new approach as British tennis, especially on the men’s side, has struggled for a while now. However, introducing these measures, which are not subtle in their message of demanding a culture of success, might be too big a change from the established systems in place.

The LTA need results and these decisions show that there are acutely aware of this. It must be a major concern that when Andy Murray’s career finishes there will be no player to fill the void on the men’s side of the game. It is possible the focus will shift onto the up and coming British women, with Laura Robson returning from injury and Heather Watson setting her sights on the World Number 1 spot as Lob and Smash reported.

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