Maksi, problem we have is the way we develop/support/no support kids coming through.

I've seen the kids coaching at first hand fro 4 year olds.

It is woeful.

So much so that I now teach my 4 year old myself and he is already better at movement and controlled hitting than older kids. I want to take some formal qualifications now to help my coaching.

There seems to me a lack of any syetems to scout local talent, let people know how to take their tennis a stage further etc, we seem geared towards social tennis (which I enjoy) and not towards nurturing talent.

Seems a real shame.

You staying up tonight for Murray's match?

Jonty, I have been out of the game for a long time. Are the tennis clubs still expensive to join, and is tennis generally seen as a snobs sport? If so, how will we find Champions from those places?

What did Germany do to find the Beckers, Stitch and Grafs of this world? How did Switerland get Federer? Spain get Nadal and even where did Djokovic come from? Any ideas?

Is there a lot of luck for these countries ending up with players that are this good? Maybe they are born with this talent?

I will be keeping you company tonight mate, and have a feeling Andy Murray will win 3:0 and without too much trouble. Those last 3 sets in the last match, and the wake up call he got after the first 2 sets, will put him in a good mood tonight?

Just seen your profile so see you're in Norway (whereabouts?), our clubs probably seem cheap compared to Norwegian prices!

Costs about £100 per month just for myself at David Lloyd but I get the gym, pool and fitness class facilities too. 14 of the courts are indoors so I can play during any weather.

I also belong to a small grass court club (Grosvenor Lawn Tennis club) we have 4 courts and 3 nets! that is £85 per season.

Certainly at my David Lloyd club (Bushey) the members are very cliquey and that extends to the teams and the way it's very hard for new members to break into that.

The teams are of middle aged men, that is what DL seems geared towards, I don't see anyone spotting and nurturing young talent at David Lloyd.

I used to see a Nigerian chap play every Saturday with a bag of balls strapped to his waist with his 7 year old daughter. Just practising and she liked doing the warm ups but he completely ignored the David Lloyd coaching and did it himself.

His 2 daughters are in the top 10 for their age group now nationally.

After a full career in the Army, my final post was a NATO job at the Joint Warfare Training centre in Stavanger on the South East Coast of Norway, It was a 3 year tour ( I spent most of that time in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia and Kosovo) and then met a lovely lady at the end of my career, and stayed over here when I walked out of the Army after 22 years.

Luckily we have the internet so it's a great way to chat to fellow sports enthusiasts, and you seem to be as busy as I am with sport lol. My lady is a wonderful creature who pretty well lets me get away with murder, and as we cruise towards our 48th birthdays, she is just happy if I am happy

Life is getting so much easier as I get older, even though sporting prowess is dwindling, even though golf and bowling are certainly sports I can compete with the best of them at at this age :p

Wow, you are a serious tennis player. A breath of fresh air on 606.

That story of the African fella , and the way he coaches is wonderful, and gives me a wonderful insight into where British tennis is going wrong. The last thing we need is middled aged men playing tennis if we are trying to find a Brit to beat Andy in the next five years.

If you are ever in Norway, let me know and we can also play here. They courts are often red clay, and full of holes, but it sounds like the only chance I would get against you is if you fell over in those holes and hurt your foot lol. Otherwise you would pile the pressure on my backhand and enjoy half court "put aways" for 3 sets lol

I know Stavanger, used to go there quite a lot with my previous compnay, did you go to the beach volleyball championships they had by the harbour?

Also did a lot of business in Alesund and still do a lot in Oslo and got to see the opening jump on that new ski jump there...incredible!

Stop hustling me on your weak backhand

lol As a truck driver i deliver the Grandstands, PA systems and a whole bunch of other stuff to that World Tour Volleyball venue most years :) You like watching the Brazilian ladies?

You probably remember Beverlys Bar, Dickens, or the Ovenpaa pubs which just lie on the other side of the water to the Volleyball pitches? Many Brits to be found in those, and good live piano or guitar music.

Beach Volleyball is a big sport over here and everybody plays it on the rare occasions that the sun shines

lol I swear to god , my back hand, when put under pressure, and causing me to hurry the shot, often goes over the net, but hits the back fence around the court at a rate of knots

Wow, you travel from coast to coast in Norway. Ålesund is where my ladies sister lives, and Oslo is the capital over here as you know, and is a decent little city, when nutters aren't going around shooting and bombing innocent people, that is :S

Are you in the Oil business or are you selling something?

Nadal wasn't great today ? Murray could beat him in that form, so that leaves the 2 other superstars. Not gonna be easy for him, but as long as he remains in the tournament, we will be rooting ( spelt wrong probably) for him

I think I went to Dickens it's in one of the back streets parallel to the harbour front?

We had a business partner there I looked after, am in software.

Alesund was doing some work at Rolls Royce Marine, loved the countryside around there and the water around the shores was so stunningly clear!

I remember drinking in that cafe on the rock overlooking the harbour, looking at my watch at it was 23:00 but still daylight and I'd racked up a massive bar bill!

Also was in Arendal last year for Gard, was quite a journey to get there but beautiful even though it was freezing in November.

Oslo was shocking, my friends in Oslo said it was worst thing since WWII.

If you had your back to the Volleyball pitches, and looked over that little harbour you would see a whole row of pubs on the other side. Dickens is in there.I love the way the pubs are painted royal red, white and orange. Looks good.

If you come to my local. The Irishman, then you have to pay 84 kroner for a Guinness which is 8 quid 40 pence so I can understand why your bar bill was shocking lol

Arendal is just along the coast and around the corner from Kristiansand, about half way between Oslo and Stavanger if you use the motorway along the coastline, if you can call that 1 lane road a motorway lol

Nadal will play Muller in the fourth round. Don't know too much about the latter. Any chance of an upset?

We had some Calvados in the hotel on seasfront in Alesund £25 a shot!

Was quite a trek to Arendal, I think I ended up taking two planes and a bus and then a train back to Oslo that I had to change in the middle of nowhere for.

Anyhow, Nadal...Muller has no chance, interesting to see 2 lefties though.

Well done Feliciano!!

As expected, our boy wonder, who got his wake up call in the last round, pounded Feliciano into submission. He now takes on the young lad that beat him a short while ago, and I can not see Andy Murray letting that happen again this time. Andy Murray might not be the best in the world, but he is certainly a ruddy good player, and is marching nicely on in another huge tournament, all on his own. ( with regards to British participation)

Now it starts to get interesting.

Young as yu know beat him recently and then potentially facing Isner who hasn't played well yet but he's yet to play on of teh top players here.

I remember seeing him lose narrowly to Nadal at Roland Garros, he had Rafa in massive trouble because of teh sheer height Rafa had to hit the returns at.

Big serve meets big returner, potentially, could be good.

Try and watch Nole v Dolgopolov tonight, the Dog is quite a player, covers the court like Federer, can produce all sorts of angles and drop shots and a really fast service motion which opponents can find hard to read.

Thanks for the tip Jonty and I will try and stay awake a little longer than I did last night/this morning

I know nothing about Dolgopolov, but you and several others are rating him highly so will be a fascinating encounter, not least because he is playing that I am starting to think my win everything.

Hope all is well at Watford mate. Stavanger has stopped raining and we are having a decent evening

Very mixed summer we had here, weather changes 4 times a day....at least the garden is green!

not least because he is playing that I am starting to think my win everything.
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Crikey, was it me or that cat that typed this.

What I was trying to say is that Dolgopolov is playing a guy that I think might win everything.

Yes, he can win the lost if he stays injury free.

Will Fed retain his GS record or will Rafa overhaul it, used to be a valid question until Novak upped his game, Fed must be sighing a sigh of relief!