The whole of Great Britain is currently on lockdown, and will likely remain that way for at least a few more weeks. Consequently, people are reading more, trying to start new hobbies, using social media and learning new things. This is a time to do something positive, with a view to the future. Tennis in Britain is in such a good place right now, I’ll run you through a few of our players’ achievements later in the article. If you’re reading this blog for the first time, great. Get following the players, watching the Davis Cup/Fed Cup highlights, all the accounts related to British tennis and enjoy the ride. If you’re already a fan, enjoy the article and lets keep supporting.
It’s worth reminding people that tennis players rely on prize money and sponsorships to earn income. With all tournaments being completely suspended until June at the earliest, it must be a difficult and frustrating time to be a tennis player or coach. We fans can play our part, by supporting and following their careers. The more exposure we can give them, the better chance of finding sponsors and getting other media opportunities to raise their profiles. Anyway, lets jump into the article, I’ll tag every player with their Twitter account (give them a click and get following).
Andy Murray has been a brilliant flag-bearer for British tennis, and transformed it to new levels in recent years. A Davis Cup win, two Olympic gold medals, a US Open title, two Wimbledon wins and reaching world number one. What a career. With Murray struggling to return to full-fitness and unlikely to reach those heights again, offers hope and opportunity to the younger generation to become stars and top representatives of British tennis.
Kyle Edmund has played a superb supporting role to Murray since that introduction at the Davis Cup in 2015. Despite leading David Goffin by two sets, Edmund cramped up and lost the match in a decider. Although, he won the hearts of British fans that week and has gone from strength-to-strength since. 2018 was the breakthrough year for Edmund. At the Australian Open, Kyle enjoyed a fantastic run to the semi-finals, before losing to Marin Cilic in the last four. Wins over Novak Djokovic and David Goffin, reaching his first Masters quarter-finals in Madrid and Shanghai and winning his first tour title in Antwerp. 2018 was a remarkable year for the Yorkshireman, climbing from just inside the top 50 to 14 in the world. Unfortunately, Edmund struggled for form in 2019, however, he won his second ATP title in New York to start 2020 and remains Britain’s number one ranked player.
Johanna Konta has been consistently very, very good over the past four years. Earning a top 10 spot in the world, reaching at least the quarter-final of every grand slam and winning three major WTA titles. In 2017, Jo had a fantastic run at Wimbledon that proved to the world she was one of the best players in the world at that time. I think she was the best player in that tournament, and missed a huge opportunity to win her home grand slam. After defeating Simona Halep in the quarter-final, we started to believe it was her year. Unfortunately for Konta, Venus Williams defeated her in the semi-final. However, it was still great to see a British player fighting it out in week two of Wimbledon with the world’s best. Konta is a great watch. She posseses quality ground-strokes and the ability to hit winners from anywhere on the court. Hopefully one day she will lift a grand slam title, a one she would richly deserve.
Great Britain had a fantastic Fed Cup in 2019. Captained by Anne Keothavong, Konta led the charge on the courts, she was brilliantly supported by Katie Boulter, Harriet Dart, Katie Swan and Heather Watson. The girls secured wins over Slovenia, Greece, Hungary, Serbia and Kazakhstan, all on home turf. The support and atmosphere in Bath and London definitely played a part in their winning performances. It was a special time for British tennis, and we certainly took advantage of the opportunity.
Elswhere in 2019: Dan Evans won two British ATP titles in Nottingham and Surbiton, overally enjoying a successful year, while playing arguably the best tennis of his career. Sarah Beth Grey won three ITF doubles titles, two of which she was partnerred by Eden Silva, a player that is climbing the rankings and enjoyed a fantastic run in the Wimbledon mixed doubles with Evan Hoyt. Katy Dunne enjoyed a singles title win in Spain, early 2019, and is preparing well for a successful future after returning from injury. Jodie Anna Burrage is a youngster catching the eye, winning titles in both singles and doubles in 2019, before starting 2020 with winning the doubles title in Monastir.
The British player I have been most excited about for a good for years is Emma Raducanu. The 17-year-old has already won three ITF singles titles and represented Great Britain in the Fed Cup away tie in Slovakia. Raducanu is a great athlete and has real power on forehand and backhand. With the right guidance, scheduling and hard work, we could have a special talent on our hands.
That’s a look at some of our excellent talents and their achievements over the past few years. There’s plenty more players to support and follow for a good few years, check out the GB rankings in the links at the bottom of this article. If you are thinking of becoming a tennis fan, do it. Our players work exceptionally hard on and off court, travel around the world to compete and we are lucky to have so many brilliant, young players that will achieve big things in the future.
We have interviews with some of our British players on the blog, more will follow. In the meantime, follow us on Twitter, other GB tennis fans, the LTA and players accounts.
Thanks for reading.
Mens GB rankings: http://www.britishtennis.net/gbtop25m/current.htm
Womens GB rankings: http://www.britishtennis.net/gbtop25f/currentf.htm
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