Could Katie O'Brien put Britain back on the women's tennis map?

A lot of countries don’t get the chance to shine on the men's and women’s tennis tours. For the most part the United States, Russia and even Croatia dominate the sport. However, in recent years “unknown” countries like Serbia have emerged out of nowhere.

Is there any way Great Britain can emerge on the WTA Tour and produce some top female athletes?

The ATP has produced a few great players from the UK in recent years. First came Tim Henman, who reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon, and now that he has retired, all sights seem to be focused on young Scot Andy Murray.  But on the WTA tour the women have fallen considerably short.

If anyone in the tennis world was asked to name a player from Great Britain on the women’s tour it might well prove too difficult. There have been a few good players in the past like Ann Jones, Virginia Wade and Sue Barker, but none in the past 20 years. The young Brits simply don’t have any “home” inspiration to look up to.

Although it may seem unlikely that a top-ranked British girl will emerge in the near future, there are a few possibilities looming. Four UK women players currently rank inside the world's top 160, and seem well set for a breakthrough for their country, namely Katie O’Brien, Anne Keothavong, Elena Baltacha and Melanie South.

Currently O’Brien is the highest-ranked woman from her country and her ranking seems to shed some positive light on her career and future. In 2003 she was barely in the world's top 750 but since then has finished each year ranked higher and higher.  She has even claimed two titles on the ITF circuit and could be her country's best hope for tennis glory.

On the other hand, South, Keothavong and Baltacha have started off the new season in winning fashion. Between the them, the trio have claimed four titles in challenger events. These three might not be the most consistent and may fluctuate in the rankings, but they could be standout players in the future.

None of them has yet broken into the world’s top 100 but they have what it takes to go beyond their previous career-high rankings. Perhaps all they need is an inspirational figure to push them to new heights. If one woman makes a move, the others might gain the strength to follow inher footsteps.

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