Now I'm a big sports fan and understand the fuss made around most of them, but never in my 41 years have I heard someone say "ooh did you watch the Davis Cup Tennis last night!" – even amongst tennis fans!

It just seems to get very high profile media coverage for its status among other sports.

So can someone explain why it's considered so important?

I wonder as well. As far as I can tell the LTA pump 30 million a year into 'british tennis talent' with nothing to show for it. The media seem to enjoy the fact that we are actually not really as good as we should be and report accordingly.

It's lost some of it's importance over the years. Players electing to defend their ranking points over representing their country and all that.
Ironically, it's gained importance in this country because it highlights how bad this country is at the sport and what a shallow field of talent this country actually has.
For a country that hosts quite possibly the most prestigious tournament in the world to fail so miserably in the sport, with an annual investment of £30million is a running joke.
I believe the next Davis Cup match is against a team of Turkish road sweepers – which should provide some cringeworthy entertainment.

crap sport. next

I guess it's seen as important because we invented the damn sport 🙁

The LTA really need to get off their arses and look at the brilliant job that has been done in olympic sailing and latterly cycling who, I believe, have adopted some of the strategies created by the Royal Yachting Association.

I can't see any reason why we shouldn't be a lot better at tennis.

I can't see any reason why we shouldn't be a lot better at tennis.

Probably because its not considered a cool sport. I was in my local park at the weekend and all four tennis courts were empty – the skate park was rammed though!

annual investment of £30million is a running joke.

Where does this money come from? I imagine despite being very poor at the sport we do make a fair bit out of it from Wimbledon so is that the justification? Does most of the money come from money made from directly from that?

Davis Cup should probably be Europe v US really.

I imagine despite being very poor at the sport we do make a fair bit out of it from Wimbledon

Who's we? How do I get my paws on this money we made?

Er, didn't the French invent Tennis ??

And having the best event doesn't mean you have to be best at it – Tour de France anybody.

Middle class sport

The middle classes that run the media think it's a big deal

Tennis is the same as Cricket run by a collective of old farts who are 20 years behind the modern game 🙄

Middle class sport

The middle classes that run the media think it's a big deal

Not just the middle classes (as we're all middle class these days 😉 ), but a bourgeois sport. Like skiing.

as we're all middle class these days

you speak for yourself 😉

Rowing & Sailing are middle class sports but we do well at them – so you can't blame it on that.

We don't have to be good at a sport for it to generate disproportionate media coverage – I give you football and Scotland as an example.

I give you football and Scotland as an example.

😆

According to my lady one of the Lithuanian players surnames translated means 'No Hands". Just wondering if he's related to this bloke Who needs hands?

Rowing & Sailing are middle class sports but we do well at them – so you can't blame it on that.

What I meant was the [middle class] media are on the case because it's NOT doing well
Anyway rowing & sailing are too minority – even in the middle classes

I don't think the general public is interested in it because we are doing so badly in it. As far as I am aware you can only win it if you are in the World Group that year which we rarely are. I imagine in Spain, who have won it 4 times in the last ten years, it is pretty big, it was certainly huge in Sweden in the days of Wilander etc when they were winning it.

It is a highly attractive format in that it is a team event in an individual sport like the Ryder Cup. The public was largely disinterested in the Ryder Cup when I was growing up because we were never competitive, but look at it now. The Davis Cup is I would guess like that in countries which are competitive.

Ryder Cup when I was growing up because we were never competitive, but look at it now

I've heard of the Ryder cup but I've no idea what format it takes or when it's on – so it's definitely not on my radar

I heard a previous outgoing member of the LTA say "If we discovered the next potential Winbledon champion in Stoke, do you think he'd get any funding? Of course not!"

Tennis in this country is an excuse to lob mountains of lottery cash (a tax on peasants, after all) at Oliver and Tabatha in Surrey, so they can play at being internatinal sports stars for a bit before daddy slots them into a spot at the top of his company.

So who gives a flying ****? Lets just have a bloody revolution, invade the home counties and bludgeon them all to death with their tennis bats – as you paid for it all anyway 🙂

Uplink – maybe it is not on your radar but I think it does attract the interest of many general sports fans, not just golf fans.

Uplink – maybe it is not on your radar but I think it does attract the interest of many general sports fans, not just golf fans.

Fair enough, it's just something I never here mentioned in the company I keep or mentioned in bars etc.

Saw GB v USA a few years ago in Brum. Had Henman and Rudeski in the team. Great day out, exciting and great atmosphere. Nowadays it would be a bit like watching some locals knocking the ball about in the park … and losing.

Middle class sport

The middle classes that run the media think it's a big deal

So why do the media think pleb sports like football are such a big deal then?

(a tax on peasants, after all)

No-one is forced to buy lottery tickets though?

So why do the media think pleb sports like football are such a big deal then?

Because it is – not my cup of tea though but it's followed by millions, which can't be ignored, it sells papers, TV & adverts

why do the media think pleb sports like football are such a big deal then?

Big money and the rise of gossip mags, but also Nick Horby and the whole 1990s middle class new egalitarianism and football fans. Gore blimey me old mucker even Tony Blair grew up watching Bobby Robson play for Sheffield from the stands of Upton Park and win the Calcutta Cup…wait, that's not right…

soccer!