Since the retirement of Virginia Wade in 1986, Britain has struggled to find a high level of success in tennis on the women’s side of the game. While on the men’s side fans have had at least one player to cheer into the second week of a Grand Slam event with Greg Rusedski, Tim Henman and now Andy Murray flying the flag at the top end of the game.
While the women’s game has not been so fortunate, as the 2012 season approaches, the female representatives of British tennis have every reason to believe the improvements made during 2011 can be matched or even bettered.
There are currently three British players in the women’s top 100 rankings and with Laura Robson just outside, Britain may be starting to find form at just the right time, especially with London 2012 approaching.
Elena Baltacha is currently Britain’s female standout player. She is ranked at 51 in the world and having reached the third round of both Wimbledon and the US Open, is clearly a dangerous floater in any tournament. She has been as high as 49 in the world and has an excellent chance of surpassing this in 2012. Her 2011 Grand Slam record was consistent as she won her opening round in each event, before being placed against difficult opponents in round two. The prospect of facing champions Justin Henin and Svetlana Kuznetsova in the Australian Open and the US Open respectively is a daunting task, and her defeats were understandable. In her other two matches she faced number 12 seed Shuai Peng of China at Wimbledon and lost to Vania King of America in France. Both of these matches lasted three sets and presented opportunities for the Scot to progress even further. Baltacha’s task for 2012 must be to capitalise on her chances to win.
With a confident season over, Baltacha will be encouraged for her 2012 campaign. Reaching the third round of Grand Slams and improving her ranking should be achievable. If she maintains a steady Grand Slam record there is no reason that she should not be thinking about looking to break into the seeded positions. This would be her greatest achievement and would allow Baltacha to avoid the top stars at the early stages of tournaments. While this is a difficult task, if she builds on her current form she has a chance.
Heather Watson has certainly reignited belief that one day Britain will have a genuine Grand Slam contender on the women’s tour. The 19 year old from Guernsey, who trains at the prestigious Nick Bollittieri Tennis Academy, which was once the home of Andre Agassi, in Bradenton Florida, has had a tremendous year. She currently finds herself at 93 in the world and progressed to the second round of the French Open in 2011. Doing so, alongside Baltacha, was the first time in 19 years that Britain had two representatives in the women’s second round of Roland Garros.
In Watson, Britain could have a future top 20 player. Losing to Maria Sharapova at this year’s US Open was to be expected, but the way Watson pushed the struggling Russian in three close sets was a shining example of the talent she possesses and what British fans are looking forward to seeing in years to come.
Watson’s rise in the rankings has been breath-taking. At the end of the 2009 season she finished the year in 558. In two years she has moved up 465 places and if her remarkable progression continues, there is no telling what she could achieve.
Elsewhere, Laura Robson, who has been talked about as the new poster girl for British tennis for quite some time has made steady progress. Winning her opening round matches at both Wimbledon and the US Open at the tender age of 17, demonstrated her ability to deal with pressure.
Robson’s 2012 aspirations must surely lie in her ranking. At 132 in the world it is fair to say that she is not in the position her fans and the player herself wants to be. Breaking into the top 100 would be a great achievement and having been inside the top 100 in the summer of 2010, she will know that she possess the talent to repeat such feats.
Robson needs time to fulfil her potential. She is clearly a great prospect and what she has achieved so far at such a young age is very promising. If she can win a few rounds at the Grand Slams and break in and maintain a spot within the top 100, then 2012 will have been a great year for a player with a very bright future ahead of her.
Anne Keothavong (pictured above), the British number two, must not be overlooked for her achievements. While Robson and Watson are spoken as the future of British tennis, Keothavong has gone about her business and her hard work has placed her at number 73 in the world.
Keothavong is a former top 50 player, and if she found more consistency there is no doubt she would spend more time in the higher echelons of the WTA rankings. Arguably her greatest success came in 2008 when she defeated the future French Open champion Francesca Schiavone in the second round of the US Open before succumbing to Russia’s Elena Dementieva who had won Gold in the Beijing Olympics just two months prior.
Keothavong has the capabilities to re-enter the top 50 and after her 2011 campaign has every reason to believe it is feasible.
The improvements made in 2011 by Britain’s top female players in tennis will do confidence a world of good and will be a big plus for new British Fed Cup team captain Judy Murray.
The GB team are currently in the Europe/Africa Zone and there is hope that the combination of the Murray’s tutelage and the new found confidence of the players could lead to progression into the World Group. They are currently ranked at 26 in the world and there is reason to believe that major improvement can be made.
Ed Rusoke-Spencer, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine
