Is Grand Slam singles woe for British players a worry for Wimbledon?

By

BBC Sport tennis quality newsman astatine Roland Garros

For the 3rd Grand Slam successful a row, determination volition beryllium nary British singles players successful the 2nd week.

That is not a astonishment astatine the French Open, wherever the nation's players person historically struggled connected clay.

But erstwhile the latest rankings are confirmed aft Roland Garros, determination volition lone beryllium 1 British antheral successful the apical 100. On the women's side, determination volition beryllium four.

With Wimbledon astir the corner, are the singles struggles becoming a interest for British fans?

"Of people we privation much British players successful the apical 100 and reaching the 2nd weeks of Grand Slams - but we're successful a blip astatine the moment," said erstwhile British fig 1 Annabel Croft.

"Tennis moves and changes precise quickly. It is simply a brutal athletics and maintaining your level astatine the apical is tough.

"I deliberation the representation looks bleaker than it really is and I'm definite the British players volition bounce back."

The deficiency of British extent astatine the apical of the athletics - peculiarly connected the men's broadside - has been exposed by a raft of injuries.

Five players were fixed nonstop entree to the French Open main gully due to the fact that of their ranking, with lone Francesca Jones - who grew up playing connected clay aft moving to Barcelona arsenic a teen - and Katie Boulter reaching the 2nd round.

Jack Draper, who reached a vocation precocious of 4th past year, has hardly played since Wimbledon 12 months ago.

The 2024 US Open semi-finalist did not play successful Paris due to the fact that of a genu wounded and volition permission the apical 100 aft the French Open.

"It's unlucky with the timing of Jack's wounded - a twelvemonth agone we wouldn't person been having this conversation," Croft said.

"Carlos Alcaraz kept talking astir however helium was fearful of Jack's game. He had truthful overmuch momentum, helium was pushing the apical players.

"We request Jack to beryllium afloat acceptable again."

Jacob Fearnley cracked the apical 50 aft a meteoric rise, but has fallen extracurricular the apical 140 aft a rib injury.

Cameron Norrie is the sole British typical successful the men's apical 100, but the satellite fig 24 retired injured from his French Open first-round match.

On the women's side, Sonay Kartal broke into the apical 50 past twelvemonth but has missed the full clay-court plaything with a backmost injury.

Jones has endured a pugnacious twelvemonth aft suffering a caput wounded successful the gym, portion erstwhile US Open champion Emma Raducanu has been acceptable backmost by a viral infection.

Those defending the authorities of British tennis would accidental determination were affirmative trends earlier injuries and unwellness took hold.

For example, determination were 3 British players successful the WTA apical 50 astatine the aforesaid clip for the archetypal clip since 1986.

"Tennis players thin to play much matches than a batch of different sports," Michael Bourne, the LTA's show director, said.

"You don't get to substitute successful a crippled of tennis - erstwhile you are on, you are on. You don't get to power whether you are retired determination for 3 hours oregon five."

It is hard to quality the conception that Britain - 1 of the richest tennis nations successful the satellite - is punching good beneath its weight.

What constitutes occurrence for British tennis, some present and successful the future, has been debated for overmuch of the past 2 decades.

Is it much Grand Slam singles champions similar Andy Murray and Raducanu? More players ranked wrong the world's apical 100? Or larger information figures crossed the country?

"The reply is we strive towards each of these," LTA main enforcement Scott Lloyd told BBC Sport successful 2024.

"Having Grand Slam champions is nary mean feat but having players spell heavy successful the biggest events brings visibility and inspiration for each our tennis fans and subordinate base.

"The much players we person competing successful the apical 200 helps propulsion our players to beryllium the champion they can."

The LTA points to the 23 players ranked betwixt 101 and 300 arsenic a motion of depth.

In April, determination were 16 men successful the apical 250. A decennary agone determination were lone 3 women and 5 men successful the apical 200.

At Roland Garros, determination were a grounds 11 men successful qualifying and 1 successful the women's lawsuit - though lone Toby Samuel managed to scope the main draw.

Men's doubles is 1 country of the athletics wherever British tennis is undoubtedly envied.

Five British players - Neal Skupski, Henry Patten, Julian Cash, Lloyd Glasspool and Joe Salisbury - are ranked wrong the world's apical 10 and each person won Grand Slam titles implicit the past six seasons.

And what astir the future? There remains excitement successful British tennis circles astir the imaginable of teenagers Mika Stojsavljevic, Hannah Klugman and Mimi Xu.

Nevertheless, it is singles which invariably attracts nationalist attraction and acts arsenic a beacon for success.

While the LTA would intelligibly admit Grand Slam singles results are not arsenic bully arsenic they would like, it is believed the governing assemblage is not acrophobic determination is cardinal contented with the nation's subordinate development.

The inquest into the deficiency of British singles occurrence astatine the French Open is thing caller and is mostly down to a deficiency of vulnerability to the clay.

According to the Lawn Tennis Association, determination are astir 1,300 clay-courts successful Great Britain. That is astir 5% of the 23,000 full fig of courts.

In contrast, astir 60% of courts successful Spain - 1 of the starring nations connected the aboveground - are clay.

"Do I deliberation we should effort and make much juniors connected clay? Yes. I deliberation it helps the knowing and operation of the crippled more," Jones said.

The writer courts are wherever British players thin bash better, fixed it is the aboveground they person much entree to from a younger age.

Giving a big of wildcards to location players passim the British writer plaything is besides a important improvement tool.

For players similar Oliver Tarvet, who met Alcaraz successful the Wimbledon 2nd circular past year aft receiving a qualifying wildcard, it tin beryllium a invaluable springboard.

As good arsenic vulnerability astatine a higher level, the wealth earned tin beryllium utilized to concern what is an costly career.

"I deliberation you'll astir apt spot immoderate radical you've ne'er heard of earlier making heavy runs successful a batch of large tournaments," Fearnley added.

"All the guys that suffer successful Paris aree consecutive connected the writer the adjacent day.

"I deliberation the authorities of British tennis going into writer is astir apt beauteous good."