LTA threatened with funding cut

WIMBLEDON
Date: 22 June - 5 July
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Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe has said he is "tired of excuses" and threatened British tennis with a cut in funding if results do not improve.

Andy Murray and Elena Baltacha were the only British players to progress beyond the first round at Wimbledon this year.

"If the results don't come, reducing the money is something that has to be looked at," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"In UK Sport's world-class performance, no compromise approach, if people don't perform, they don't get the money."

Nine British players crashed out of the sport's showpiece tournament in the first round, and Sutcliffe said the Lawn Tennis Association needed to urgently address the lack of strength in depth in British tennis.

"Two (players in the second round) isn't good enough," added Sutcliffe.

"I'm getting tired of the excuses, we need to find a way now to be successful.

"If you look at the Olympics last year, look what UK Sport are doing - we put funding in and we have world-class performances.

"Those athletes don't get paid if they don't perform, and I think that's one of the key issues we need to look at.

"Tennis gets £25m from Wimbledon, £30m from Aegon (as part of a five-year sponsorship deal) and £27m from Sport England, public money that goes into grassroots.

"Why is it that we can't have the players like they have in Spain and Russia? They have people coming through all the time."

But Ian Ritchie, the chief executive of the All England Club, thinks people are being unrealistic.

"Everybody talks about Wimbledon money and in fact, overall, it's a pretty small sum of money to develop an entire sport across the UK," he insisted.

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" This lad Bogdanovic is clearly not up to it. How many more chances are we gonna give him? "

"You could put an argument, I think, that says if performance is not ideal, then you look at more funding, not less funding. But they all had difficult draws and Andy Murray is still going to do fantastically well, I'm sure."

Murray has found himself in the position occupied by Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski during their playing careers, shouldering the expectations of British tennis fans almost single-handedly.

And the world number three said the depth of British tennis needed to get "way better".

"It's disappointing. It's not acceptable," said Murray.

"But regardless of whether there are 10 Brits in or just one I'm still going to take care of my own business."

Murray, seeded to meet Roger Federer in the final, was taken to four sets by Robert Kendrick on Centre Court in his first round match, while Baltacha won a fierce contest against Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko.

BBC tennis correspondent Jonathan Overend said after Baltacha's 3-6 6-3 6-4 victory: "Had she lost, it would have been collectively the worst performance by British players in the Wimbledon Open era.

"The cracks are once again papered over, albeit with flimsy crepe paper."

Murray and Baltacha apart, the rest of the Brits were all reflecting on what might have been, none more so than Anne Keothavong.

The British number one has had a good season, reaching the top 50, and was expected to beat Austrian Patricia Mayr, ranked some 30 places below her.

But after dominating the opening stages of the match she missed a set point, then lost seven games in a row before surrendering tamely 7-5 6-2.

In the men's draw, Alex Bogdanovic fell in straight sets to 20th seed Tomas Berdych, completing a run of eight career singles matches at Wimbledon without a win.

Despite losing, he will still cash in a cheque for £10,750, along with Keothavong, Joshua Goodall, Georgie Stoop, Katie O'Brien, Dan Evans, Mel South, Laura Robson and James Ward.

But the LTA has hinted that the 25-year-old Bogdanovic will no longer benefit from wildcard invitations to SW19.

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