4.7 Million Backhands and Counting: Britain’s Tennis Boom Serves Up Hope

Britain’s Legacy

Britain has a more extended history with modern tennis than any other country, with its history going back almost 200 years. The island has given the sport an abundance of talent, including Andy Murray, with 3 Grand Slams; Virginia Wade, with also 3 Grand Slams; and Fred Perry, with a whopping 8 Grand Slams – and that’s not even including their doubles trophies…

However, aside from the anomaly that was Andy Murray’s significant victories, Britain has struggled to find much success in the last few decades. Emma Raducanu won the US Open in 2021 at just 18 years of age. However, this was the first female British champion in over four decades, with Virginia Wade’s victory at the 1977 edition of Wimbledon being the last. In addition to this, Andy Murray’s famous 2012 Wimbledon victory was the first men’s victory since 1936 when Fred Perry beat Don Budge in the Wimbledon final and the first British at a Grand Slam final since 1997 when Greg Rusedski was beaten by the Australian Patrick Rafter.

It should be mentioned that in the last decade Jonathan Marray, Jamie Murray, Neal Skupski, and Joe Salisbury have won a combined 8 grand slams, however even Marray’s 2012 Wimbledon trophy was the first British doubles Grand slam trophy since Roger Taylor at the 1972 US Open, and the first British doubles Wimbledon Trophy of the Open Era.

The Current Landscape: Men vs. Women, Present and Future

Now that some context has been laid out it is fairly obvious that until Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu were victorious the Brits have been severely lacking in trophies from Majors in the Open Era (since 1968, before then was known as the ‘Amateur Era’).

It may be seen that Andy Murray’s Wimbledon Trophy sparked some life into the British game, as since 2012 there have been multiple cases of Brit’s progressing through multiple rounds at Grand Slams. For example, Cameron Norrie reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2022, and Dan Evans, Jack Draper, and Heather Watson have all reached the fourth round (Round of 16) in a Grand Slam. Of course, it would be silly to not recognise Emma Raducanu’s victory in 2021 again as the culmination of recent improvement in the British game.

Despite Emma’s trophy and being ranked as high as 10th in the world, in the short term it actually seems that the men are still more likely to find success. In the ATP rankings, Britain’s Top 5 Men are ranked:

1. Cameron Norrie – 22nd (in the world)
2. Dan Evans – 38th
3. Andy Murray – 44th
4. Jack Draper – 55th
5. Liam Broady – 98th

and whilst there currently is not a Brit in the ATP Top 10, Cameron Norrie was ranked as 5th in the world in 2022 and won the Indian Wells Open in 2021 (which is often referred to as the 5th Grand Slam).

Despite these decent rankings, the top five men have an average age of around 30 years old, which for most players would be in their prime. The youngest of these Brits, Jack Draper, is just 22 years old and has already played in two fourth rounds games at the US Open and Indian Wells, and two ATP 250 Finals in Sofia, and Adelaide; as well as being a part of the British team at the Davis Cup which reached the Quarter Finals.

The British women are ranked a fair bit lower than the men, as only Katie Boulter is in the WTA Top 100. Britain’s Top 5 Women are ranked:

1. Katie Boulter – 54th
2. Jodie Burrage – 102nd
3. Harriet Dart – 112th
4. Heather Watson – 141st
5. Yuriko Lily Miyazaki – 196th

Whilst only one female British tennis player is ranked higher than the fifth ranked male, their average age is just over 27, with Jodie Burrage being the youngest at 24 years old. Burrage is arguably less successful than Jack Draper despite being older, only ever reaching the second round of a Grand Slam (Wimbledon, and the US Open) and never qualifying for the Australian Open or Roland Garros.

Whilst the top 5 British women are lower ranked than the men, opening the search to include the top 10 Brits reveals a far different picture. The top 10 men have an average rank of 130 and the women have an average rank of 205, however, the men’s average age of 28 is three years older than the women’s age of 25. As Raducanu’s current ranking of 296, 286 ranks lower than her highest ranking of 10, clearly only reflects her last year of absence through injury rather than her already fantastic career at just 21 years, and reflects on just how volatile the rankings can be.

With a few years on the men, it is reasonable to believe that they could surpass the men’s rankings in few years, especially as Andy Murray has recently discussed the possibility of retirement following his 1st round knockout at the Australian Open.

Building the Future: From Grassroots to Professional Tennis

The future of British tennis doesn’t stop alongside the professional rankings, and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) wants to make sure that the journey from youth, to amateur, and to professional tennis is more streamlined than ever before.

In 2018 the LTA set out a vision to 2023 to improve all levels of British tennis, and despite the obvious interruption of the pandemic, the uptake in tennis as a hobby has grown significantly. The total amounts of adults playing tennis in 2022 was 4.7 million which is over 1.4 million more adults than in 2021. Whilst that clearly shows improvement, the youth improvement is even more impressive with over 3.6 million children playing tennis in 2022, an increase of almost half a million.

The LTA has played no small part in this success with over £14m being invested to construct new facilities such as courts, lighting, and clubhouses; in addition to investments into booking systems for courts and coaches, and into support and wellbeing. The LTA’s participation drivers aren’t purely monetary either as they aim to eliminate the stigma of tennis as an elitist sport, into one that every can participate in through their SERVES, Open Court, and LTA Youth Programmes which makes tennis more accessible to people with disabilities, as well as encouraging people from poorer and more ethnically diverse backgrounds to get involved from a very young age.

Summarising British Tennis

Britain boasts a rich tennis history, marked by legends like Fred Perry and Virginia Wade. However, recent decades saw limited Grand Slam success, except for Andy Murray’s 2012 Wimbledon win and Emma Raducanu’s stunning US Open victory in 2021.

While men like Cameron Norrie and Jack Draper showcase promise, the women, led by Katie Boulter, seem further behind. But, their younger average age suggests potential for future growth.

The Lawn Tennis Association is actively building the future by increasing participation through initiatives like SERVES and Open Court, aiming to make tennis accessible to all, regardless of background or ability. With continued investment and youth engagement, Britain’s tennis future might be as glorious as its past.

To read more about the LTA and its tennis programmes please use the link below:

https://www.lta.org.uk/play/how-to-get-started/