Image from John Lamb (Getty images)
Great Britain – A country mad about sport but where is tennis currently at this moment in time?
Currently, Jack Draper leads the way as the British number one having endured a stellar 2024 season.
He is now ranked 12th in the men’s world rankings after soaring through the ranks. His main highlight was reaching the semi finals of the Us open and put up a great fight against Jannik Sinner.
If Draper can stay injury free, the future is bright as he has the game to go on to win a grand slam.
Another British hope of the women’s side is Katie Boulter. In November 2024, she reached her best singles ranking of 23rd in the world.
Although she is yet to reach the heights at the Grand Slam tournaments, Boulter has won 3 WTA titles including winning on home turf in Nottingham last year.
“It is great to see British players thriving on the men’s and women’s tours and i think it is crucial that Jack Draper and Katie Boulter stay fit” said BBB tennis correspondent Russell Fuller.
Britain’s tennis history
After a quiet 50 years for the Brits, a magical moment happened in the summer of 2013.
Andy Murray made history by becoming the first British tennis player to win Wimbledon in over 70 years.
Defeating the legendary Novak Djokovic on Centre court is a monumental victory.
Then in 2016 he would do the same again, this time defeating Milos Raonic in straight sets.
On the women’s side of the draw, an 18 year old qualifier was sitting her A-levels when she exploded onto the world’s biggest stage.
Emma Raducanu had to go through qualifying to get to the main draw at the Us open and she only went and won it.
The first female grand slam champion since Virginia Wade in 1977.
However, tennis is an extremely physical sport and unfortunately setbacks happen.
Murray and Raducanu were both plagued with injuries, both less than a year after winning a grand slam so the younger generation coming through have to be cautious.
After a very quiet 20 years for the Brits, young rising superstars are gaining momentum and helping to build an exciting future.
Schedule of tennis
Tennis still has many great days in England on the tennis calendar with Wimbledon being the marquee attraction.
Warm up tournaments take place across June including at Birmingham, Ilkley, Nottingham and Queen’s which attracts the higher ranked players.
Birmingham starts on the 31st May as the French open enters the second week so it’s a great opportunity for lower ranked players to take advantage.
Last Summer, unknown prospect Jacob Fearnley made a name for himself by winning in Nottingham and then backed that up by making the final in Eastbourne.
His performances in these events gained him enough ranking points to gain entry into the main draw at Wimbledon as he won his opening match at the home of tennis.
“We have a great range of tournaments across the English summer and ranking points are they to be had, Jacob Fearnley is a great example of that” said BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller.
Wimbledon championships
The Wimbledon tennis championships started way back in 1877 and is the oldest tennis event in the world.
This tournament has been a great opportunity for British players to succeed due to more spots becoming available to homegrown British players.
The pristine grass courts typically suit the big servers in tennis as well as players who like to chip and charge.
Players from Great Britain are more familiar with the surface and find it easier to adapt to ‘typical British like conditions.’
Women’s tennis player Sonay Kartal enjoyed her best run at Wimbledon in 2024 as she won two matches before getting knocked out in the third round against Coco Gauff.
Wimbledon has provided a great path for different age groups to compete as it has a boys and girls tournament.
This has provided great opportunities for the next generation to succeed.
British player Henry Searle won the tournament in 2023 and off the back of this got invited into the main draw, gaining valuable experience and highlighting another future British star.
“With Wimbledon being the main highlight for British tennis I think it is vital to get as many wildcards with it being our home tournament we have to take full advantage” said Russell Fuller.
Britain’s tennis setup
At this moment in time, British tennis is mainly run through the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).
“Recently we have seen a lot of positive aspects from the LTA as they have provided funding for new tennis centres to open and some to stop from closing down” said Russell Fuller.
They are in charge and in control of a lot of tennis court’s and Centre’s in Britain including the National Tennis Centre where the best players in the country train.
The LTA has established tennis academies in Stirling and Loughborough in order to boost the number of players seeking to be successful and willing to put in the workload.
For players to improve, they have to play in tournaments across the UK. The LTA website provides a vast range of tournaments at different grade levels with Grade one tournaments involving Britain’s best players.
Tennis is considered as one of the toughest sports to make it at pro level and make it a career.
In the past, Andy Murray was training in Barcelona in order to prepare himself for men’s tennis. Meanwhile, Jack Draper went over to the United States to train, just showing the levels of commitment future British tennis players will have to go through.
Summary
British tennis is on the rise.
After Andy Murray’s incredible achievements in the last decade, it has built a pathway for more people to get into tennis.
More tennis courts and parks are now being opened up to encourage tennis amongst any level of ability.
Our future is bright with Jack Draper leading the way after an incredible performance at Indian Wells.
Right now British tennis is pushing through elite tennis players and we can only look in a positive direction.
By Sam Bailey
Game set and match 
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