Help
2007-10-07 13:20:58
I'm heading to Moscow to follow the combined ATP/WTA event this up-coming week. However, let me reflect on some things going Sweden, where this year's If Stockholm Open is just about to begin. The third Wild Card to the ATP event was handed to 20-year old Ervin Eleskovic. For the international readers, you are excused if you haven't heard about this player. He was a very good junior player a few years back and has been given a lot of support from the Swedish Tennis Federation's scarce resources, actually more support than anyone else over the past five years. With the lack of talents in Swedish tennis, they have been desperate to produce at least one more star.
Despite poor results even on the lower levels of the professional tennis circuit, Eleskovic has been given a bunch of Wild Cards to the ATP events in Sweden. This is the fourth consecutive year that he is given a Wild Card in Stockholm and he has also been given two Wild Cards to the event in Båstad (04 and 06). In these six matches, he has won a total of one set, and twice left the court without winning more than two games. His game hasn’t developed as expected and he is stuck in the 600’s on the ATP rankings, with his career high in the mid 400's a year ago. To give him yet another Wild Card to this year's event is embarrassing for Swedish tennis, and a big mistake by the tournament committee. Let him develop on the lower levels where he is supposed to be playing. With his ranking, he wouldn’t even make the cut to the qualies. What makes matters even worse is that there is another Swede who is five months younger, higher ranked and has made huge progress over the past few years. Calle Bergman, ranked some 43 spots better than Eleskovic, is a player who has come from out of nowhere and it would certainly be more appropriate to give him this opportunity. But this talented 19-year old wasn’t even given a Wild Card to the qualifying.
Tell a friend »
Wed 30/07 13:01
The Players Who Cant Behave On the Court
Wed 16/07 19:09
The Globalization of Tennis
Wed 09/07 22:12
A clay court specialist wins Wimbledon
Tue 01/07 18:33
Wimbledon confirms what we already knew
Thu 19/06 19:18
Nadal vs Djokovic the most entertaining match-up in tennis
Mon 09/06 22:33
Queens - A fascinating event
Thu 05/06 22:33
A Victory for the Sport of Tennis
Tue 03/06 16:41
Soderling Loses to The French Crowd
Mon 26/05 00:10
French Open Time - One Match at a Time
Tue 13/05 08:39
Costa smokes a cigarette of defeat
Thu 01/05 14:26
Rafael Nadal - the One and Only Clay King in Barcelona
Thu 01/05 14:19
Ramirez-Hidalgo Touches Federer - Then Crashes Down on Earth
Wed 23/04 10:23
No Joy to Watch Guga Anno 2008
Mon 07/04 15:53
A Masters Series title will not clean Davydenko's name
Sun 06/04 16:19
Another Disappointment for Roddick
View all posts
Scan QR code to access Unibet mobile.
Bet on Sports wherever you are and whenever you like, with Unibet's quick and simple mobile client you can place bets, check results and see live odds.
For more info about QR codes & scanners click here.
Contact us
/ About us
/ Cookies
/ Recommended links
/ Advertise
/ Sitemap
Tennistalk v1.5.0
Disclaimer © 2001-2012, Moneytainment Media Ltd - All rights reserved
