LTA want to talk to Murray

WHILE Great Britain’s Davis Cup team were feted by the Prime Minister, the tennis bosses they criticised in the wake of their title triumph last night offered an olive branch. Lawn Tennis Association chief executive Michael Downey praised the achievements of Andy Murray and the team and said he was willing to talk to them about the future. ‘We value the opinions of all of our players on how we grow the game in Britain and our door is always open to hear their views and work with them,’ said Downey (right). Former British Davis Cup captain John Lloyd opened a new front in the debate by accusing the powers at the All England Club — responsible for Wimbledon — of failing to get involved enough in wider British tennis. He suggested that Wimbledon, which gives around £35million of profits every year to the British game, is insufficiently active in helping solve problems. ‘Wimbledon always say that it’s not their job to talk about British tennis, the job is to put on a great tournament,’ Lloyd, who is an All England Club member, told ESPN. ‘Wimbledon just keep on giving the LTA millions each year with no input and it’s a tragedy. ‘Why aren’t they speaking out about the LTA when they have a chance to? If you’re giving that amount of money each year and you’ve got nothing to say about how it is spent, that’s mind-boggling. It’s sad that Wimbledon pass the buck and say that it’s not their job. My question to the top people at Wimbledon would be, “Are you happy with the results?”’ There are many at SW19 who are not, but their tried and tested policy is not to comment, for fear of tarnishing the brand.