Interview: Steph Cornish

Steph Cornish is the No.3 ranked female junior in the country. I caught up with Steph to ask her a few questions about her tennis, and how she thinks British tennis is developing as a whole.

Q. Your the third ranked junior in the country, could you give me a brief description of your training regime?
A. I train from about 8.30 am to around 5pm Monday to Saturday and sometimes on Sundays. I play two 2 hour sessions of tennis and one or two fitness sessions each day. Obviously it changes if I have a tournament etc.

Q. Do you think you have got what it takes to break into the top ranks of womens tennis?
A. Yes. It’s tough to get good results consistently at the top end of the game, but it’s encouraging to see the older British women doing a bit better and nearing the top hundred so there’s no reason why I can’t do well.

Q. It’s been a long time since Britain had a woman at the top end of the game. What do you think the reasons are for British tennis not being able to achieve the results that a similar sized nation like France seem able to produce regularly?
A. I think there has always been a pretty negative attitude towards tennis in Britain, especially in the women’s side, and the press etc. have been too quick to criticize anything. Plus the LTA keep changing their plans and their staff and nothing has really stuck for long enough to produce results. It could be fair to say that in the past we haven’t trained hard enough or we don’t want it enough, but the new National training centre has provided a more professional environment and hopefully results will follow.

Q. Do you think your training and coaching matches up to what juniors from other nations are recieving?
A. Yes the facilities and coaching are just as good if not better than any other nation, and the players are all working hard to improve. I don’t think there is a massive issue in terms of effort during training. Since the press has been slating the players for lack of desire and being spoiled, everyone has definately started putting in that extra bit of effort so it shouldn’t be long before we have a woman in the top hundred.

Q. Lastly, do you agree with the LTA’s policy of bringing in outside coaches, like Brad Gilbert and Paul Annacone? Is their experience worth the price the LTA have to pay? Paul Annacone and Brad Gilbert have so much experience and it can only benefit the players they are working with. The guys all have a lot of respect for them which makes them want to do better so yes I think it is worth it.

Estoril Open Update

It is semi-final time here at the Estoril Open,after Roger Federer eased past local favourite Frederico Gil 6-4 6-1.

Portugese wild-card Gil has had an excellent week, but Federer was simply too good for the world No. 146, and apart from the two rain delays, it was a comfortable victory for the Swiss.

He now goes on to play German Denis Gremelmayr, who has reached his first ever ATP semi final with a hard fought victory over Jiri Vanek (6-2 3-6 6-2)

In the other half of the draw, second seed and world No.4 Nikolay Davydenko extended his winning streak to ten matches, with a gutsy win over Marc Gicquel of France. Davdydenko was runner up here in 2006, and was victorious in 2003, so he knows the courts well. Next up for him is another Frenchman, Florent Serra, who defeated Flavio Cippola easily 6-1 6-1.

In the doubles it is good news for Britain, as Jamie Murray made it through to the final with new partner Kevin Ullyett. The number two seeds recovered from a set down to defeat third seeds Frantisek Cermak and Jordan Kerr 3-6, 6-4, 10-6. Murray is up to a career best ranking of 34, and will be looking to improve on that when he and Ullyett face top seeds Jeff Coetzee and Wesley Moodie in the final.

Murray slips out of the top 20

With the latest update of ATP Rankings, Britains Andy Murray has found himself outside the world’s top 20 players for the first time since August 2006.

Murray had made his best ever start to a season (10-1 win/loss) but has since struggled, winning only four out of his last eight matches.He has slipped nine places to 22nd, and along with Guillermo Canas also dropping nine places, it has allowed Spaniards Juan Carlos Ferrero and Carlos Moya back inside the top 20.

However the Murray camp (Andy now has an entourage to rival Jennifer Lopez) will not be overly worried with the situation. Coming up next is the clay court season, and whilst this may not be Murray’s best surface, he should be able to move back up the rankings. This is because he has no points at all to defend, having missed the whole clay and grass court season last year with a wrist injury.

This should see a swift march back up the table for Murray, and as long as he can stay injury free up to Wimbledon, and play to the standard we know he can, it is not unrealistic for him to be challenging for a place in the top 5 by the time the tour reaches the All England Club again.

Murray’s make a mess of Miami

Yesterday was a day to forget to British tennis, as both Murray brothers crashed out in their opening matches.

I had always believed Andy’s chances of beating Mario Ancic to be slim after his lacklustre American hardcourt season so far. The Croatian has been in fantastic form since making his comeback from glandular fever, and it was not a huge shock to see him come through 6-2 2-6 7-6.

Murray was apathy itself in the first set and it was painful to watch such a talented player descend into childish sulking. However one thing Murray will never lose is his will to win, and despite all the mutterings under his breath, the Scot stepped up his game to take the second set. Unfortunately he levelled off again in the third set, and whilst he made a fight of it, Ancic deserved the win that came his way.

It was no better for older brother Jamie, who’s first round loss with Max Mirnyi comes as a much greater surprise, given that they have been in excellent form of late, notching up two wins over the Bryan brothers. The pair went out rather tamely to Frenchmen Marc Gicqeul and Fabrice Santoro 6-4 6-4, a team unlikely to progress far in the tournament.

Maybe now that Jamie has some time off he might be able to find a barbers to cut his ever inflating hair!

Miami Master Series preview

This week will see the second Masters Series event of the year get under way in Miami.

The top two players in the world are yet to win a title this season, and will both be looking to change that here. However Federer has lost the air of invincibility he has been shrouded in for the last three years, whilst more and more opponents seem to be finding ways of hitting through Nadal’s heroic defense.

Novak Djokovic is without a doubt the form player in the world at the moment, and he has an excellent chance of defending the title he claimed here last year. Andy Roddick, who started the season so well, will be hoping to avenge his early loss at Indian Wells by having a good run in Miami, and if he finds his serve there are not many who can stop him.

On the British side of things, both Alex Bogdanovic and Anne Keothavong failed to make it through qualification. A-Bog went out to Serbian Victor Troicki 6-4 3-6 6-1 in the first round, whilst Keothavong made it to the second round before going out to the number four seed Anastasia Rodinova 6-1 3-6 6-3.

So, once again Andy Murray is our only British hope, and the Scot has been handed a very tough draw. He has a bye into the second round, but is likely to find himself up against the in form wildcard Mario Ancic. But, if he make it through that match he will fancy his chances of making it through to the semi-finals, where he could meet Roger Federer.

Bad news for the Brits

Katie O’Brien, Anne Keothavong, Jamie Baker and Alex Bogdanovic have all crashed out of the qualifying for the Indian Wells Masters Series event.

All four Britons were in action in the build up to the main tournament but none could make it through to the main draw to join Andy Murray. O’Brien went out to Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 4-6 4-6 in her second round match, while Keothavong lost to No 10 seed in the qualifying draw, Russian Galina Voskoboeva, 5-7 6-0 1-6.

It was even worse for Bogdanovic and Baker who both lost in their first round matches. ‘A-Bog’ lost against the world No 126, Japanese Kel Nishikori , 4-6 6-4 5-7, while Baker lost against the world No 97, Frenchman Florent Serra, 6-7(7) 1-6.

All British interest is not lost yet however, as both Murray brothers are in action, with Jamie partnering Max Mirnyi once again in the doubles.

The qualifying draw can be viewed here.

Mens Singles

Womens Singles