Some of Great Britain’s finest tennis players are not reaching their full potential, so is the British hype getting to these players?
The Hype?
The British media seem to be thinking that every player that represents them is going to turn into the new Andy Murray. Which shows ambition and seems to be fine but there is one problem in this: they have done nothing to warrant such comparison. Let’s look it previous player’s such as James Ward, everyone in Britain thought he will be the one challenging Murray at the pinnacle of British tennis. However he was too young and inexperienced and did nothing to deserve such high praise, as a result he has become irrelevant and fell down the ranking rapidly. This theory doesn’t also apply to the men, the women also seem to be under this unnecessary pressure just ask Laura Robson. She was playing some solid grass court tennis a few years ago. The new number one the Brits said, since then injuries and pressure have been the downfall, she rarely plays on the WTA tour now.
No Pressure?
However one example of the opposite effect happening is Johanna Konta. The Brit has had no Hype and no pressure whatsoever and look where she is. A top ten player who is winning big tournaments and has actually found consistency. Granted, she doesn’t play an attractive game and her tennis doesn’t appeal to a wide audience. However it gets results. She is one example of when the Hype and the pressure by the British media is extinguished, you can get results.
Kyle Edmund
The main British player who is gaining the most Hype is Kyle Edmund. Why? Because he has a big game that can overpower anyone off the court, ask some of the best players in the world and they will tell you why. He has beaten the likes of Richard Gasquet and has taken sets off Andy Murray Andy Rafael Nadal. However Edmund is yet to do anything relevant in tennis and the British media decide to overhype him. Edmund shouldn’t be proud that he is the latest victim of the British Hype Machine, which keeps on processing. He is way behind the likes of Alexander Zverev, Nick Kyrgios and Dominic Thiem who are in his age category. So unfortunately for Edmund he can expect this continue and expect his career to lead to a downward spiral.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the British media need to stop overhyping some of its younger talent otherwise their career is going to face a downward spiral. Not everybody is Andy Murray and is talented as Murray, sure players nowadays need to improve their mental fortitude, however the British media needs to realise the definition of realistic goals.
