Lawn Tennis Association

He was running the Action Method in Canada, and we trained many Canadians.

But I know he's been with the LTA, the British organization, for a long time.

What are your thoughts on what he's doing?

Yeah, it's super impressive.

Will, who would you say is the equivalent of that? Another one out there that's doing a similar type of work in the doubles.

Anybody else that comes to mind? There's some individual coaches that are Really, really do a good job.

But I don't know of any federations that have invested in doubles like the LTA have.

I've had some of my favorite podcast episodes for my podcast or when I have coaches on.

So that's very different.

Even if you look at the, you know, USTA, the LTA, the French, it's, it's not that because they have way more money they have developed the best players in the last 20 years.

Roger, Rafa, and Novak.

Novak, who is Serbian, Roger, Switzerland, and Rafa.

Mm.

If you, if you think about the American leagues have been a lot luckier in a way because they don't deal with the legacy structure we have.

You know, the, the, the Italian Tennis Federation, the French Tennis, the LTA.

The other issue is that there is a lot of turnover.

Yeah, and I think 100%, like...

I've got a great support network with the guys here, the LTA and my team as well.

And there's been a common message of like, hey, all of these stuff that I just mentioned, compared to guys top 50, you're nowhere near.

But any given day, playing a tennis match, you're right there with them.

Like there's other schools that I know the coaches are great as well.

But usually the Brits, I think, just gravitate to TCU.

And I think they have a good relationship with the LTA, especially after Jake's success.

Nas, Ali Gray, all of us sort of pushing.

County singles has been reimagined over here.

Or has it? We've got lots of developments from men's and ladies' doubles to catch up, but first, there's the case of the disappearing LTA Winter County Cup to investigate.

Welcome to episode 328 of the Tennis Hampshire podcast.

It's something weird, and it

We're going to talk about the singles leagues.

We're going to talk about the mysterious disappearing Winter County Cup.

And then do kind of an update for folks on what's happening in the Hampton LTA's Ladies and Men's Doubles Winter League.

So we have an action-packed agenda to get through.

Absolutely.

When I packed in, I got involved with the Lawn Tennis Association and I set up speedballs in the gym work and the benefit was seen.

I mean, the benefit was seen.

Very difficult with a technical sport like tennis, but we had the rugby guys doing it, London Scottish, we had them doing the speedball, but We integrated it with speed endurance runs.

Indeed.

But Andy Murray's all over the back pages of the papers talking about how useless the LTA is.

Yeah, he is, yeah.

Because one of the things that irritated me about the weekend was watching...

He loves his history.

And he knows it's 1936 and it's the last time that Britain won the Davis Cup as well.

And that's why you'll see in your newspapers this morning, and good on them, and good on Jamie Murray and all the other Brits, they have had a right go at the LTA.

Because he was asked, what legacy do you want to leave? He goes, I want to leave a legacy.

I think there are 20.

Do you know what the LTA's position was? I couldn't see them on the list.

We may have lost, Calvin.

Stunned into silence.

They have outliers of positions in lots of ways.

I'm not surprised the FTF, the FFT, sorry, aren't undersigned.

What's interesting about the LTA is that they have, you know, generally, and I know that there is feeling... within the organization that they do see doubles as an important part of the ecosystem.

They obviously have a very strong doubles program, but I've spoken to a number of people within the performance program who have sort of taken the view that this is kind of a fait accompli and that there isn't really much of an option available to them.

What happens in the UK or are you aware of anything that happens in the US? What are some of the activations that happen and that I know you're passionate about this part of the sport and now coming into growing the sport? What are some of those initiatives and where do you think the opportunities are?

I think like the LTA in the UK, I think we have initiatives.

I think they, sometimes they're all centered around the bigger tournaments.

Obviously, we've got the grass court events.

And I think a lot of the initiatives, this is my perspective, I'm interested to hear what you think, is that they've got to be regular.

And while it's important to have the showcase events like Australian Open or Wimbledon, but there definitely then has to be functioning spaces and inclusive spaces where people then can go on a regular basis.

I definitely know that LTA have wheelchair events and whether it's camps or regular sessions at the National Tennis Centre, there's a junior session that happens every week, which is incredible because I think, especially for kids who have a disability, Sometimes they'll feel isolated or not included.

And I think by having an event every week, the parents get to bring them.