Tennis is a sport played worldwide by approximately 60 million people, making it one of the most popular spectator sports.
The game was initially conceived in the 12th century in France, but the modern game was invented in England in the 18th century.
Despite Great Britain being the home of the modern game, they have struggled to produce world-class players.
The lack of homegrown British tennis players is a concern for many in the sport.
The quality of the facilities and the weather in Britain being like a game of casino777 Roulette, hampering the progress of young players not fortunate enough to travel during the winter months to more temperate climates.
Andy Murray is one such British player who spent a lot of time abroad practising in the sun.
Murray has been the best British player of the last 15 years, winning multiple Grand Slams, and his career was undoubtedly helped by being able to train all year round.
In Britain, there is a new crop of players coming through the ranks that do have serious potential within the game.
Who will be the next Fred Perry, Virginia Wade, or Murray?
The rising British female stars
The big name bursting through on the British tennis scene is of course Emma Raducanu.
Currently 11th in the WTA rankings, many believe the 19-year-old can rise to the number one position.
Breaking on to the senior scene by reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon last year, Raducanu had to retire against Ajla Tomljanovic due to breathing problems.
However, she was back to compete in the US Open, where she created British tennis history by winning the tournament as a wildcard.
If she can stay injury-free, there is a very bright future for Emma and British tennis.
One of the other gifted young female players gaining a lot of attention is 19-year-old, Katie Swan.
Swan first took tennis lessons aged just seven while on holiday in Portugal, and both her parents and coach knew she would be a professional one day.
She is currently ranked 184 in world tennis and sixth in the British rankings.
Winning her first senior tour match aged just 16 in 2015 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, and again winning the same competition a year later certainly got people’s attention.
Swan has recently signed with Murray’s 77 Sports Management agency.
Murray said: “Katie is a player I’ve been watching for a while. She’s got great potential and has already had some good results.”
The next big British men’s players
British men’s tennis has been going well recently, with players like Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans producing some impressive results.
But there is another player who has caught the tennis world’s attention, Jack Draper.
The 20-year-old has already played at the highest level.
In 2021 Draper played Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon and took the first set 6-4, before ultimately losing the match.
Another young British player that has a very bright future in tennis is Jay Clarke.
Clarke has already played at Wimbledon in 2021, progressing to the second round and, most notably, reaching the semi-finals in the mixed double’s 2018 Wimbledon with fellow British player Harriet Dart.
Aged only 23, Clarke has been relatively injury-free apart from an incident involving a bicycle in 2020, allowing him to get back to training and match fitness now the world has lifted Covid restrictions.
With his coaching being led by his older sister, the future looks bright for Clarke.
Featured image credit: Nuta Lucian via Flickr under CC BY 2.0 license
