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World of Tennis: Heather Watson has no issues with new Brit Johanna Konta

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About 10pm on Thursday last week, after she had lost in the French Open second round, I asked Heather Watson what she thought about the arrival of Johanna Konta into the British ranks as the national No 6, following her awarding of citizenship from Australia.

'She’s a nice girl and a good player, I think she’ll be good to have around,' said Watson.

So, while these things have a habit of causing ructions, that was a rather warmer welcome than what Greg Rusedski got when he switched to GB from Canada in the early nineties in a much more high profile case.

New Brit on the block: Johanna Konta now has UK citizenship

It is interesting to look back on that, because despite the early negativity, even those who were against him coming would struggle to argue that Rusedski has turned out to be anything other than an asset for the British game.

He helped raise the profile,  pushed Tim Henman along in their rivalry and he continues to be a positive presence in the game as he works, apparently effectively, with some of the country’s best juniors. He said he was in for the long haul and that has been the case.

You doubt Konta’s transition to Britishness will be entirely smooth, and as I reported in Sportsmail this week her father Gabor has a county court judgement outstanding against him for money owed to the Sutton Tennis Academy from several years back.

If I were the owner, Keith Soll, I would be disappointed that the LTA did not get this sorted out before rolling out the red carpet for our new arrival, at least out of solidarity with one of the country’s foremost centres.

And roll out the red carpet for Johanna Konta they certainly have done, with the NTC put at her disposal and LTA lawyers fighting the case for her to become British over several years.

No problem: Heather Watson has welcomed Konta into the British set up

Whatever the rights or wrongs of this it tells you how desperately needed any world class talent is to represent Great Britain, and it is relevant to place it in the context of GB having not a single entrant into the French Open qualifying or main draw as far as girls are concerned.

That fact is that the production line is deeply faulty, and that once Anne Keothavong and Elena Baltacha fade away – both are at the back end of their careers - there would have been little else to talk about apart from Heather Watson and Laura Robson, and possibly Naomi Broady

I have been asked how British is Konta, who was listed by the LTA this week as living in Eastbourne but born in Sydney. Of Hungarian heritage, she has lived in the UK intermittently since her early teens, and obviously permanently enough in recent years for the Home Office to be satisfied.

One source says she actually lives in the lodgings of the NTC with her parents most of the time back in Hungary, contrary to the LTA press release. 

Brit of a problem: Not all fans took to Canadian born Greg Rusedski

Anyway, she appears to have friends – for the record,  in my one interview with her I found her very pleasant – and the consensus view is that she is definitely top 100 potential once clear of niggling injuries.

It will be interesting to see how things develop with relation to wildcards and the Fed Cup, and you wonder whether it would have been better for all concerned if she had not been ‘unveiled’ during the winter, rather than at the opportune time just before Wimbledon. Anyway, she’s British, she wants to be British, and beggars cannot be choosers.

Too bubbly for comfort

Is the Lawn Tennis Association serious about tackling tennis’s unwanted and mostly unwarranted reputation as – to use the ghastly phrase – an ‘elitist’ sport? Of course it is, but they have had a funny way of showing it this week.

Two press releases came our way from the Roehampton headquarters (we were waiting for an obvious one trying to drum up interest in the upcoming grass court season but it never materialised) .

One of them trumpeted an exciting new sponsorship, that of a leading French brand becoming the LTA’s ‘official’ champagne.

It is obviously up to Moet and Chandon how they wish to promote themselves, but you do question whether this is the right way for the governing body to go when they are trying to battle the misconception that tennis is an expensive/exclusive sport to play.

The right impression? Moet and Chandon are the official Champagne sponsor of the LTA

While some coaching is ludicrously expensive it generally is not, unless you are trying to get seriously good at it, but many people believe that it is. Where’s Marston’s Pedigree when you need it?

Then there was the one announcing the opening of the new development at Edgbaston’s leafy Priory Club, a project in which the LTA has invested £5 million in, despite it being at arguably the most upmarket sports club in the whole of the Midlands.

With an apparent lack of imagination, the opening ceremony in Birmingham is to be performed by Daniela Hantuchova .

My most prominent recent memory of her was employing shameless stalling tactics to fiddle her way past a young and naïve Laura Robson at Wimbledon three years ago in the first round. Isn’t someone of more local prominence available, maybe Jasper Carrott?  

Talkative Courier a hit for ITV

It has been a good time for ITV to enter the world of tennis coverage, with it having been an excellent first week of Roland Garros and reaction to what they are doing having been positive.

That, at least, was the impression I picked up when I did an impromptu Twitter poll on Saturday, that drew a surprisingly large response.

The general feedback was that you like the way they have approached it and the mixed bag of commentators and analysts, some of whom will be familiar, others less so.

As I expected when he was unveiled, Jim Courier is not to absolutely everyone’s taste, but the large majority seem to be enjoying him. He certainly knows his stuff, and is extremely articulate and intelligent. And unlike at the Australian Open there are none of his toe-curling on court interviews.

More rabbit than Sainsbury's: Jim Courier talks a good game

Fabrice Santoro also seems to have gone down well. On a rare opportunity I managed to tune in he told a good anecdote about the first of his twenty French Open appearances.

As a resident of the French national academy he was actually staying in the digs provided by the Federation at Roland Garros, so when he looked out of the window in the morning he could see the court he was to play on later that day.

At their launch Niall Sloane, ITV’s Head of Sport, admitted that the French Open was not part of some wider plan to get into tennis, but that it appealed to their portfolio as it is an event with genuine ‘credibility’.

So don’t expect them to be launching a counter bid to the BBC for Wimbledon any time soon, but they must nonetheless be pleased by how it has gone so far.

Will the big three get Olympic flag honour?

Might the Big Three of men's tennis all be carrying their nations' flags at the opening ceremony of London 2012?

Novak Djokovic looks a certainty for Serbia, Rafael Nadal has support in Spain and Roger Federer is waiting to hear if he'll have the Swiss role for a third straight Games.

Flying the flag: Rafael Nadal could represent Spain in the Olympics

Brits are out to grass

The grass court season officially begins on Monday with the Challenger level event at Nottingham for men and women.

The highest ranked player there will be Austria's world No 52 Tamira Paszek and defending champion Elena Baltacha heads a large British entry of all our best players sans Andy Murray.

Nottingham-bound: Elena Baltacha represents Britain's best

  Boys lead way in France

That no British girls are in the French Open juniors, or even qualifying, shows the lack talent below 18-year-old Laura Robson.

The picture in the boys is better, with four players making the main draw. Kyle Edmund and Luke Bambridge won on Sunday but Josh Ward-Hibbert went down.

Setting the standard: Laura Robson

Bullring is in the pink

The clay on the famous Bullring court is to be dyed pink this week.

There is unlikely to be another Madrid-style rumpus though, as it is just for next Thursday and is being done for two legend doubles matches to mark France's national women's day.

All of a twitter: Alla Kudryavtseva

Tweet with a twist

Tweet of the week was from Russia's Alla Kudryavtseva, explaining with commendable honesty her lack of form after defeat in the French Open qualifying: 'I really don't know what else to do to win a f****** match ... one last try in mixed.'

  More... No piece of cake for Novak: Djokovic taken to the wire in five-setter Murray to feed from Paris crowd in bid to drown out 'Mozart' Paris Match Zone: Serena mixing it up despite shock first-round exit French Open 2012: All the results from the men's and women's singles









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