It’s now more than 30 years since Britain last won a Grand Slam event - Virginia Wade back in 1977. Since then success has been thin on the ground and only Jo Durie came close with a couple of semi-finals appearances in Grand Slams in the early 80s.

More than 20 years later and success is hard to find for British women. What is it about this former great tennis nation which has fallen behind so many of its neighbouring countries? Are the players not good enough? Or are the facilities of a poorer standard? Will England ever produce a quality player again? These are all questions I regularly ask myself, and simply can’t find an answer!

Year on year, British tennis officials say things are improving, just give it time - but just how much time do the British fans have to wait before they can cheer some success? The men’s game is slowly improving with Tim Henman and Andy Murray being competitive on the tour, earning good prize money and being successful. Murray,  at the start of his career, is sure to go on to further his ambitions. But as for the ladies – well, it’s pretty dire.

'The girls need to continually win matches year in and year out to improve their rankings'


Katie O'Brien is presently just outside the top 100 in the world and continues to improve her ranking on the WTA tour. She is good enough, I believe, for a top 100 spot, but as for a Grand Slam success - you must be joking!

I am a big fan of trying to see if one of the up-and-coming British girls can make it big in the tennis world. When at Wimbledon I always go and see which girls can defeat some of the world’s best - but unfortunately I am continually disappointed with their lack of success.

I tend to go on the first two days of the tournament to catch the first rounds, but not many Brits get passed this early stage! Other British girls with potential are Anne Keothavong, Mel South and Elena Baltacha. All the girls has shown they can beat top 100 players, even a few top 50 ranked women, but the level of consistency in their play makes them unable to achieve success.

The girls need to continually win matches year in and year out to improve their rankings. They have a good year on the tour and then either get injured the next season or don’t play as well, falling back down the rankings. Maybe it is a confidence issue or too much pressure on them to perform well. Maybe they just can't mix it with the best. 

Naomi Cavaday is one of the youngsters who has done well since being ranked in the top 200 when she was only 18. Now, nearing her 19th birthday, the youngster has failed to push on in her career like so many before her. What can she do differently to achieve success?

Georgie Stoop, another top junior, has failed to build on her potential due in no small way to a long-standing injury. But are injuries just another excuse for failure? Just look at the ups and downs of Elena Baltacha!

As tennis fans we keep hearing of new tennis centres being built with state of the art equipment but nothing seems to develop.  Maybe I am expecting too much too soon. We do have some talents in the junior game, but haven’t we always?

On the LTA website there are names, pictures and details of Britain’s top tennis players, but how many we will see reach the WTA or ATP tours is anyone’s guess.  I hope that with all the hype surrounding Andy Murray in the men’s game it inspires some of the 12 to 14 year olds out there to achieve success. 

Tennis is an elite sport and can cost a lot of money to send potential players to training academies across the world, such as the Nick Bolleteri School of Tennis in Florida. Maybe the new Roehampton centre can accommodate these youngsters at a much cheaper price.

Promotion is also key. Schools across the country need to focus on tennis, and allow kids to spend time practising rather than concentrating on the football and rugby culture. Tennis is there for every kid in England to discover, not just the ones who have money or go to a posh school.