LTA chief going nowhere despite Poland humiliation

Chris Jones
22 Sep 2009

Roger Draper today insisted he had no intention of falling on his sword in the wake of Great Britain's Davis Cup debacle against Poland that has left the team in the third division of the world game.

The Lawn Tennis Association chief executive, who took up the post in 2006, signed a new five-year contract in December and is adamant he will stay in place.

He said: "I have no intention of going anywhere and intend to see this through and I have always said don't judge us on the short term but in five to seven years. There is going to be a period of hard grind.

"It was massively uncomfortable to be sitting there as we lost to Poland and the defeat is hugely disappointing. Nobody in British tennis can fail to be upset with the result and it was, possibly, the toughest 48 hours I have known in my three years in the post.

"I am sure people will be looking for scapegoats because everyone wants short-term results, but this is not about sacrificing someone."

Having Andy Murray as the only men's player of any note in the sport from this country is a poor return for the £30million the LTA receives annually from Wimbledon. However, Draper points to the success of junior girl's Grand Slam champions Laura Robson and Heather Watson and a group of promising teenage boys as evidence that Britain is starting to produce real talent.

The LTA's legion of critics point to that huge annual windfall compared to the desperately poor world rankings of the other senior players, with no one better than No189 - James Ward - and the rest not even good enough to get inside the top 200.

Draper added: "We have a long-term plan in place which we believe in and we always said this was going to be a 10-year process and there has been massive progress. When you take the Davis Cup in isolation then you have to pick yourself up after days like that.

"Last week I was doing interviews about Heather Watson winning the US Open girls title and you have to recognise the growth in our sport, the work with coaches, talent identification system and the progress of our girls, so there are lots of positives."

Meanwhile, Murray has avoided serious injury to his left wrist. Scans confirmed he has a sprain and tendinitis with the inflammation likely to disappear with rest and he should be fit to play in Tokyo at the start of October.