Henman, is he a bottle merchant

THE nearly man of tennis, why have the BRITS no balls?

Seems like a decent enough guy, he just doesn't have what it takes to reach the next level in tennis.

To be fair on the guy he was in the worlds top ten for a while and was number four at one time. He just didn't win anything worth having.

Originally posted by Wheely
To be fair on the guy he was in the worlds top ten for a while and was number four at one time. He just didn't win anything worth having.

He won an ATP tour event, which is more than most players ever achieve. He also made it to other grand-slam semi-finals.

He's Britains best ranked player for many years, unforunately Midddle Englands Tennis toffs believe he owes thems something at Wimbledon, so the pressure was always too great.

Now he's past his best he plays to par - 2nd or 3rd round was the best he could hope for this year.

Originally posted by steponup
THE nearly man of tennis, why have the BRITS no balls?

The real answer if your interested is that for many years our education system has actively discouraged competitive sport, and you'll still find it frowned upon by some parents.

This has impacted on most of our sports. Things have started to reverse now but I'm sure a few more years will be required yet.

Originally posted by Dapablo
The real answer if your interested is that for many years our education system has actively discouraged competitive sport, and you'll still find it frowned upon by some parents.

This has impacted on most of our sports. Things have started to reverse now but I'm sure a few more years will be required yet.

I've never bought that argument. It just doesn't ring true in any of the schools I've known. And as most of my family are teachers of one kind or another, I've known a few.

What may be true, if you're looking for a reason to pin it on schools, is that the national curriculum and similar initiatives has squeezed the amount of time dedicated to sport.

Or, maybe the British aren't that bad at sport after all. But tennis isn't our strong point. Pick some other sports and it looks different.

I think there are good cases for both your points.

The schools that my kids go to don't promote competition - school 'sports day' is a joke - everyone gets a medal! What's that all about?
"...it doesn't matter if I don't win 'cos I'll get a medal anyway"????

...and also, when I think back to when I was at school, the sportsmaster used to stay behind after school... and he used to do stuff at lunchtime... it would appear that if the teachers aren't being paid for these extra hours they don't do them now. (Like they work long hours anyway?)

My former primary school didn't have a football team for a long while, one of the reasons was that they didn't have a male member of staff, and the other reason was that the teachers weren't prepared to stay behind after school.
I actually went and volunteered my services (at my own cost), and started a team, and successfully ran it for 3 years... a change in my job meant that I had to relinquish my service, however, because the school then had a team, one of the female teachers took over the running of it (presumably she'd negotiated some overtime?)

The downside is, the female teacher has no football knowledge, so the kids aren't even learning the basics correctly now.

Originally posted by Dapablo
The real answer if your interested is that for many years our education system has actively discouraged competitive sport, and you'll still find it frowned upon by some parents.

This has impacted on most of our sports. Things have started to reverse now but I'm sure a few more years will be required yet.

no! the real reason is that in the uk, tennis is played by fat talent-less people with a lot of money and no skills in posh tennish clubs. they dont like the rif-raf coming into their tennis clubs to play.

thats why only a small percentage of people in the UK get to play proper tennis on nice courts and clubs while the rest of us have to play in sub-standard council/public parks.

Originally posted by blade68
I think there are good cases for both your points.

The schools that my kids go to don't promote competition - school 'sports day' is a joke - everyone gets a medal! What's that all about?
"...it doesn't matter if I don't win 'cos I'll get a medal anyway"????

...and also, when I think back to when I was at school, the sportsmaster used to stay behind a ...[text shortened]... football knowledge, so the kids aren't even learning the basics correctly now.

here..here... blade68..well put.

Originally posted by rhb
He won an ATP tour event, which is more than most players ever achieve. He also made it to other grand-slam semi-finals.

He's Britains best ranked player for many years, unforunately Midddle Englands Tennis toffs believe he owes thems something at Wimbledon, so the pressure was always too great.

Now he's past his best he plays to par - 2nd or 3rd round was the best he could hope for this year.

He's over-hyped and chastized for not living up to the hype. Many Brits (or your press, don't know which) have strange ways to deal with some of your athletes...

Originally posted by Palynka
He's over-hyped and chastized for not living up to the hype. Many Brits (or your press, don't know which) have strange ways to deal with some of your athletes...

It's both! And it's all thanks to the horrific 'celebrity' culture that's rife in the UK at the moment.

Originally posted by steponup
THE nearly man of tennis, why have the BRITS no balls?

I think Tim is a great sportsman. He goes out there and does his best every time, despite the unrealistic expectation piled upon the poor guy year after year, he more than anyone knows how good he is or isnt and knows his limitations. Anyone who watched his last two games cannot in all honesty call him a bottle merchant after seeing how he handled some shots and situations, ie 15-40 down 2 sets to 1 down against Moya to come back and win the match. That shows guts not bottle, further if you listen to the experts such as Becker and McEnroe, who I think know what they are talking about since have won numerous opens, they both slam anyone who call Henman a bottler.

That aside I have to agree with Mr Sins above post, the current celebrity wanna be and obsession culture in the uk is sick, disgusting, the uk is becoming a nation of people with vacumous dreams of being celebrities or imitating thier life by looking like them or dressing like them etc etc. Furthermore the way the press treat people like Henman sometimes is a disgrace, the future generation of British people is worrying for its society.

Originally posted by 1WhiteKnight
I think Tim is a great sportsman. He goes out there and does his best every time, despite the unrealistic expectation piled upon the poor guy year after year, he more than anyone knows how good he is or isnt and knows his limitations. Anyone who watched his last two games cannot in all honesty call him a bottle merchant after seeing how he handled some ...[text shortened]... an sometimes is a disgrace, the future generation of British people is worrying for its society.

I agree on both points.

Tim seems like a swell guy.
UK culture sounds quite similar to the U.S.A., disgusting.

Originally posted by steponup
THE nearly man of tennis, why have the BRITS no balls?

henman the most overated british sportsman of our day! even worse than christian daily!

Originally posted by wideawake
henman the most overated british sportsman of our day! even worse than christian daily!

No the most over-rated British sportsman is Rio Ferdinand of Man U and England... he is rubbish!