[Closed] Wimbledon - our biggest national embarrassment?

The Daily Mail

END OF THREAD!

Women of a certain age 😯

Minor members of The Royal Family and Pippa (buttocks life support system) Middleton for me.

I thought Robson did well today... but she is on a collision course with this and it won't end well.

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Binners you forgot the [s]Upper Class Twit of the Year Award[/s] Henley Royal Regatta.

And not just the woeful standard of English tennis (he's Scottish whether you like it or not!) It can't be just me. Is their anything more toe-curlingly cringe-inducing to watch than the displays of patriotism from the kind of appallingly dressed middle class people who buy Princess Diana memorabilia from the Daily Mail Sunday supplement?

England football hooligans are frankly a better advert for the country.

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The chip on binners shoulder.

Come on Tim!

eh? its only tennis, naff sport, really if it was that good people would be bothered about it for more than a couple of weeks a year

It can't be just me.

I think it probably is.

You've clearly never actually been to Wimbledon.

Your nominations for stuff that just makes you wince?

Took a R&R break a couple of years back to prevent a mental meltdown. Just booked 3 nights at a random Marriot golf resort nr Manchester.

Imagined a nice hotel, pool, maybe have a quick round or driving range (I played in my yoof) and a few drinks in evening.

Turns out that 90% the golfers staying over, were the loudest most obnoxious bunch of idiots I've ever seen in one place (the bar). I was embarrassed for them; got chatting to the barmaid - turns out most of them are that way. Apparently the ones with the real money are older, and a lot nicer, and don't go around making pathetic jeers and stares at her. It was genuinely staggering how idiotic and cringeworthy they were. Just as I'm typing this I remember the police were actually called one night to deal with some bust-up.

So my answer is Golfers that wear BOSS in size 300 font across their moobs; that's my sweeping generalisation.

nr Manchester.

There you go. It was probably Binners and his mates 😉

My cousin went for the first time last year and said it was not full of Hooray Henry's. I feel more sorry for the fact there are so many empty seats during a lot of the matches on the show courts. Is appears more apparent as I imagine centre court is not the biggest venue when compared to some of the other slams.

Two of my colleagues have been at Wimbledon this year, both managed to get centre court tickets - two of the most down to earth, ordinary blokes you could meet, just love watching top level sport.

Must be very dull at Binners Towers tonight if this is bothering you to such an extent.....

I think Laura Robson will achieve top 5 ranking in future if she can maintain her physical fitness. Hope she will reach the final.

As for that Scottish bloke ... what's with the attitude? 🙄

Had the TdF and MotoGP today, and you watched Wimbledon?

epicyclo - Member

Had the TdF and MotoGP today, and you watched Wimbledon?

Arrrghhh ... missed that cos I was fixing my pooter so was not totally concentrating on the game or other channels ...

Poor effort Binners 🙂

Tennis is ace, as is any sport not involving horses (Virginia Wade has been tested - 100% human).

Lots of Northern scumbags at Wimbledon - it's a ding dong do and open to anyone who applies.

Yes, it does attract the kind of people who wear cashmere, read the Telegraph and like Mexican Waves, but they've got to go somewhere and it keeps them off the trails.

England football hooligans are frankly a better advert for the country.

Really?
Having had the gravy scared out of me at many football grounds around the country, these days I'd rather be forced to listen to Cliff Richard than to have to run to the train station, dressed as a Mummy, whilst being pursued by home fans attempting to show exactly how they feel about away fans turning up in fancy dress. 😀

And Serena?
Yeah, why not? I fancy a strenuous five setter with either of the Williams girls, tbh 🙂

As long as they don't eat at McDonalds they're all good with me. 😉

As long as they don't eat at McDonalds they're all good with me.

😆

I was out riding my bike. What happened? (rising inflection)

Took a R&R break a couple of years back to prevent a mental meltdown. Just booked 3 nights at a random Marriot golf resort nr Manchester.

Let me guess. Worsley?

From a Spanish point of view Wimbledon is just another of the major tennis tournaments, nothing embarrassing about it. Football hooligans are another matter.

But as an ex-pat, I'd have to say watching my countrymen and women burning themselves on a Spanish beach at midday is a huge embarrassment. How can they be that stupid??? First day, pale white bodies at 11am, bright red at 12, and that's the rest of the week ruined. Idiots.

on a collision course with {this} Serena

I'm not alone in wanting this am I?

To get in the top 200 in professional tennis is a staggering achievement. That most so called professional footballers could only dream about that level of dedication and commitment. Most parents sacrifice their social life, career and most other things in order for their kids to have a shot at the big time. Probably only the top 2% will get to play at a national level. I know because i'm one of those parents. I drive a 10 yr old car 20 k a year to tennis comps. My son trains 5 days a week and plays competitions on the weekends. He volunteers to help mini tennis on a Saturday morning. We haven't had a holiday for 3yrs. Tennis coaching is not cheap. I would jump at the chance to watch a bit professional tennis at Wimblydon. I'd even stump up 2.50 for some strawberries and cream.

You really do try and turn everything into some sort of class war / struggle and I find it rather tedious old chap 🙂

Thats really interesting. serious question: Would you not say that the class system is an issue as to where English tennis is. Despite the countless millions of lottery money the LTA have had lobbed at them they don't seem to have progressed at all.

Do you think it's because of a lack of talent, which I doubt, or because the set up seems like the polar opposite of the British cycling squad? Cosy and complacent?

The only British (Scottish) player to get anywhere did so by pointedly having nothing to do with the LTA. Seems to speak volumes that, to me.

Thats really interesting. serious question: Would you not say that the class system is an issue as to where English tennis is. Despite the countless millions of lottery money the LTA have had lobbed at them they don't seem to have progressed at all.

Do you think it's because of a lack of talent, which I doubt, or because the set up seems like the polar opposite of the British cycling squad? Cosy and complacent?

The only British (Scottish) player to get anywhere did so by pointedly having nothing to do with the LTA. Seems to speak volumes that, to me.

Tennis is still an elitist sport in this country. As long as it remains this way, we are unlikely to see many players at the top of the game.

If you look at the eastern european countries, they have a fraction of our budget, yet produce far more top ranking players.

The LTA needs to take its head out of its arse if we are going to progress and become decent at Tennis.

That's pretty much my thinking. We produce decent footballers and boxers in this country because its seen as a route out! I doubt anyone is likely to think that about tennis in this country. you wouldn't appear to have a chance unless you went to the 'right' school. But they clearly do in Eastern Europe. And subsequently look quite good at it!

I don't think this will ever occur to anyone at the LTA. More Pimms?

Is watching sport the preserve of the working class then?.... seems Binners wants a crowd full of flat cap wearing, whippet toting scruff bags.
Let the village green preservation society enjoy their two weeks of tennis FFS....if they want to wave the national flag then why not?...both Robson and Murray have said the crowd boosts their performance, nothing wrong with a bit of patriotism, we live in a pretty decent country actually.

Binners I played tennis at a decent level at school, in fact the school "hired" a coach for some extra training before the Derbyshire finals. I got pwned when I got there the first year I entered. Mum and dad never had enough money to keep me in a proper club. I upset a few posh kids a few years later turning up with my cheap kit and racquet and making it thro a few rounds but at that level money most certainly helped...

Each to their own but I like watching a bit of tennis on TV for two weeks of the year.I'm enjoying Murray's career while it lasts. It might be the only time in my lifetime that there is a Brit at Wimbledon with a realistic chance of winning the men's singles.

None of the top British players have come through the LTA system. All have trained abroad. Parents will not sacrifice their kids education during the peak time for their tennis development ie when they are doing their GCE's. In eastern Europe this is not a problem. Yes the class system has a lot to answer for but you can't tar everybody with the same brush. As a side note the Lta spent a cool half million on its canteen at Roehampton. Its about projecting an image not about producing players.

If were going to be like this.. Football! A bunch of overpaid, under IQ'd, superficial cheating arseholes, watched by a bunch of pissed up, banana throwing, EDL loving pie eating Sun readers..
I'd rather watch a dog having a shit!!.....
This is fun... 😀
Edit.. And Rugby, it all seems a bit gay to me, and F1 cos its just Bernies cash cow and boring, and Cricket, even more boring, and the Tour, more drugs than the Hacienda on a Saturday night with the stone roses playing...
😀

Chuckles

I like tennis, cricket too..

I'm a bit sad you think like this binners 😆

Really sad.

BTW I know the guy who invented Hawkeye..

I think we need to separate out the state of british tennis, from the game itself and Wimbledon.

British tennis is pretty much a joke. Wimbledon and tennis as a sport is amazing.

Check out the russian tennis club spartak: http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-commentary/article/8827683/espnw-russia-topspin

Piss poor facilities, but has produced: Anna Kournikova, Marat Safin, Dinara Safina, Elena Dementieva, Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Anastasia Myskina.

With a budget of tens of millions the LTA can't even produce players in the top 100.

Class system in tennis? My lad plays with the tennis club in Ilkeston. Upper class Ilkeston is NOT 😆

What makes me wince (among other things) - knocking excellence on the basis of (perceived) class issues.

Snobbishness and/or chippiness are both pretty unattractive and unnecessary IMO and 99/100 mis-placed.

Wimbledon is an example of world class, sporting excellence - organisation, heritage and status. It is something to be celebrated and copied rather than knocked.

Binners - interested in the right school comment. Can you elaborate? In my experience, the clashes between country and national tennis and the independent school system suggest that in this case it cant be a public v state school thing as the coaches I know hate the fact that good tennis players at independent schools are generally unable to find the necessary time to commit to the sport (Millfield, Reeds excepted perhaps). So what or who are the right schools in this case?

binners. Yawn.