Jo Konta - the 'British' thing

Finchley Seagull · Jul 12, 2017

LlcoolJ said:
If she's been here since she was 14, lives in Britain, represents Britain, and even sounds British then what is anyone complaining about?

It's totally different to Rusedski or all the other examples given above where people just pick and choose their nationality based on some vague family connection or the fact that they've been somewhere a few years as an adult.

Absolutely agree. It seems that when we have a successful sportsman or woman, we need to find something to say against them. Take Murray and the obsession some have with him being anti England (based on one joke he made to journalists when they were doing the same to him). It is sad.

Also, Konta is far more British than much of the English cricket team has been in the last 15/20 years (KP being an obvious example but there are a number more who have played in recent years).

Publius Ovidius · Jul 12, 2017

Sussexscots said:
She's a British citizen. Mo Farah was born in Somalia. He's a British Citizen too. See also Matt Prior, Andrew Strauss Kevin Pieterson, the Vunipolas etc, etc.

Aren't we encouraged to embrace our diversity and multiculturalism?

Or maybe the sun never sets on the British Empire.

Don't worry...after brexit she can **** off back to Hungary or Australia so we can get our country back

Notters · Jul 12, 2017

Stat Brother said:
mother Jane and father Clive, a former hockey player who represented England at under-19 level. His mother's parents had emigrated from Tetbury, Gloucestershire, England to Kenya to run a crop farm. Froome's two older brothers, Jonathan and Jeremy, went to Rugby School in Warwickshire, England

So his mother was Kenyan?

Publius Ovidius · Jul 12, 2017

Finchley Seagull said:
Absolutely agree. It seems that when we have a successful sportsman or woman, we need to find something to say against them. Take Murray and the obsession some have with him being anti England (based on one joke he made to journalists when they were doing the same to him). It is sad.

Also, Konta is far more British than much of the English cricket team has been in the last 15/20 years (KP being an obvious example but there are a number more who have played in recent years).

Jennings the current opener is a saffie under 19 captain!

Blue3 · Jul 12, 2017

As British as the rest of us after all each and every one of us has immigrant DNA

Lincoln Imp · Jul 12, 2017

trueblue said:
If she's a British citizen, considers herself British, lives in Britain and intends to stay long term, she's British as far as I'm concerned. We've all got foreign blood somewhere down the line. Would feel the same regardless of her job.

Perhaps we could ask Rhodri Philipps, 4th Viscount St Davids, for his considered view.

ManOfSussex · Jul 12, 2017

Just published - https://inews.co.uk/essentials/sport/johanna-kontas-wimbledon-success-masks-uncomfortable-truth-lta/

Of the 12 British players in the first rounds of the Men's and Women's draws this year, only 2 came through The LTA's Development Programme, though Naomi Broady was but had funding cut.

Finchley Seagull · Jul 12, 2017

Publius Ovidius said:
Jennings the current opener is a saffie under 19 captain!

Indeed. While the likes of Prior, Trott and Strauss were born over there (before moving to England at various ages).

LU7 RED · Jul 12, 2017

No surprise that the first woman GB semi finalist in years isn't British. The home grown players don't seem to have any grit or self belief that you need to succeed.

mickybha · Jul 12, 2017

If she is a British citizen and has a British passport then she is British, if she wins Wimbledon she will go into the history books as a British winner, But I think it raises a more interesting question, is she English Scottish Welsh or N. Irish, can you only be British ?

Stat Brother · Jul 12, 2017

Notters said:
So his mother was Kenyan?

I don't know how 'Kenyan' you are when born to 2 ex pats living in Kenya.
I'd guess it's a matter of choice although as it comes with a British passport it's hard to imagine being 100% Kenyan.

rippleman · Jul 12, 2017

Blue3 said:
As British as the rest of us after all each and every one of us has immigrant DNA

As British as someone who was born here, to British parents, and has never had the urge to become a national / resident of another country just because the money might be better?

Thunder Bolt · Jul 12, 2017

Tom Hark said:
Doubt very much that a 15 year old kid from Scotland has very much say over where their parents decide that they should live. And I speak from experience.

Then you should have watched his interview after he'd won Wimbledon a few years ago. Andy is very driven, which is part of his success.

BUTTERBALL · Jul 12, 2017

About as British as Greg Rusedski and Zola Budd.

RandyWanger · Jul 12, 2017

I thought we didn't like those bloody foreigners coming here taking our jobs? :moo:

Sussexscots · Jul 12, 2017

Cheeky Monkey said:
That's a separate argument imho. It's not about being xenophobic, racist or whatever. Would you have taken it seriously if Alan Shearer had played for a few years in the Bundesliga, qualified as a German citizen and played for their national team rather than ours?

Think my original post was clumsily expressed. I wasn't trying to make a point about race/creed/colour, it's just interesting to me that the nationality topic seems to come up about Tennis, perhaps more than, say Athletics, Rugby, Cricket. And speculating how 'British' someone is seems to be a singularly British thing to do.

We live in a globalised world now where notions of national identity are being broken down. As people travel, marry and move across continents so much more, this kind of scenario seems increasingly likely. Maybe sport is the last bastion of that national identity?

As for Shearer, well, I take your point, however, Jo Konta is playing as an individual rather than for a team specifically representing a country which I think is a little different. Mind you if Shearer had discovered a Scots Granny and played for Scotland, I'd have been quite happy

.

getreal1 · Jul 12, 2017

I'll take it but she isn't really.

Stat Brother · Jul 12, 2017

RandyWanger said:
I thought we didn't like those bloody foreigners coming here taking our jobs?

History would suggest a winning tennis player isn't one of our jobs.

amexer · Jul 12, 2017

All credit to footballers. All stay loyal to country of birth and travel round world representing a national team that is so often very poor

Kaiser_Soze · Jul 12, 2017

The semantics of it all piss me off.

She isn't British. She qualifies to represent Britain. That's two different things. Carlo Cudicini could have played for England. He had lived in London for long enough to qualify for a passport and had never played a full international for Italy. If he had played for England it wouldn't have made him English, he would still be Italian. Ashley Barnes is not Austrian, he just qualifies to play for them!

That said, I have no issue with her representing Britain. She's entitled to do so. I just get frustrated at the lack of distinction between being born of a nation and qualifying for a nation.

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