On the face of things, British tennis appears to be quite rosy considering the success of Andy Murray. The Scot remains one of the top three men in the ATP singles rankings despite a frustrating year with injury problems.
Meanwhile, Johanna Konta continues to make good progress in her career, particularly in 2017 by winning two women’s titles and heading into October, featuring seventh in the overall WTA singles rankings.
Beyond this pair, you have to look much further down the respective rankings to find the remaining British pro tennis talents. Amongst the men, there are some who have the potential to keep climbing and are making signs of positive progress, with Kyle Edmund and Aljaz Bedene remaining inside the top 50. Only Heather Watson remains among the top 100 women, while Naomi Broady and Laura Robson have fallen well outside that stratosphere of tennis talent.
These names still fall short of that of Andy Murray, of course, and Britain’s tennis favourite is tipped at odds of +350 to win the Australian Open in 2018. A glance at emerging British players suggests that compared to other leading countries, producing top tennis professionals who consistently break into the top 100 of the respective men’s and women’s rankings, is increasingly difficult.
Producing players with enough talent and potential to win tournaments or even reach finals, seems to be an even more monumentally difficult task, amidst suggestions there is a shortage of young players coming through in the British game. A lack of affordable facilities, or players not possessing the same mental strength and determination compared to compatriots of Spain or France, Russia or the USA, are some of the reasons mentioned.
However, there are some up and coming British talents who have broken into the professional game already, that are well worth keeping an eye on over the next couple of years; some of whom were handed wildcard entry at the 2017 Wimbledon tournament and have since continued to make positive progress.
Amongst the men, whilst 22-year-old Kyle Edmund remains the leading young British prospect within the ATP top 50, there are others who have continued to develop their game well in 2017. Beyond Johanna Konta in the WTA rankings, although there are currently no British women in the top 100, there are several prospects making steady progress.
Twenty-two-year-old Cameron Norrie headed into October at a career high of 136 after climbing 140 places in 2017, winning the Binghampton Challenger and the Tiburon Challenger. As one of the top 5 British men, his swift rise is expected to continue and in 2018, and it would be no surprise to see him break into the ATP top 100 some time soon. Meanwhile, 23-year-old Liam Broady could finish 2017 inside the top 200, plus 19-year-old Jay Clarke began October having shot up 253 places in the rankings, to 282nd, inside a year.
Amongst the best young British women at present, 21-year-old Katie Boulter is considered the best prospect around, and for good reason. In 2017, she climbed 148 ranks and heading into October, was 214th in the classifications, and is expected to keep climbing in 2018. Although much further down the current rankings, consistent progress is being made by young British women, with more genuine prospects compared to men.
Twenty-two-year-old Katy Dunne and 21-year-old Harriet Dart are two who could push towards the top 200 in 2018. Meanwhile, 19-year-old Gabriella Taylor and 18-year-old Katie Swan aren’t far behind, plus 18-year-old Jodie Anna Burrage in her first pro season is widely considered one to watch.
