For the first time since the current format was introduced, not one British woman has made it through to the second round of Wimbledon. But are any of us shocked?
No. And here's why:
Not enough kids involved
It's simple - the more children you have playing tennis, the better chance there is that some will make it through to the top level.
In Britain there aren't enough girls playing tennis. The Lawn Tennis Association says there are 70,000 kids involved in mini-tennis in this country, but that figure is dwarfed by the numbers playing the game in, say, France and Belgium.
And the LTA's programme has only been in place for the last two years. Other countries have had similar schemes in place for over 20 years.
No existing world-class players
How can we expect to have British women players doing well at Wimbledon when the rankings prove they are simply not good enough?
"Most of our girls play at Satellite and Challenger level," explains former British number one Sam Smith.
"To expect them to win a match in a Grand Slam event is unrealistic."
Club culture
Even if a British girl finds herself down at her local tennis club, the set-up is not likely to turn her into a pro.
British clubs place the emphasis on social tennis, rather than having a competitive structure in place which will produce hungry, competitive players.
And there are not enough clubs in the first place. There are 2,400 in Britain - compared to 9,200 in France.
No youngsters coming through
It is hardly surprising that the numbers of decent senior women players have declined when the supply line is drying up.
 Our girls are not doing what they should be doing from the age of 10 onwards Sam Smith
Former British tennis player |
"There are no British girls in the junior event at Wimbledon for the first time," says Smith. "That is much more significant than five lowly ranked players losing to much better players."
Cash shortage
Yes, profits of �70m are made from Wimbledon and �26.5m goes to clubs around the country.
But in comparison to the amount of money spent on tennis in other European countries, it is a drop in the ocean.
In France, Sweden and Germany, courts are built and development programmes funded by national and regional government.
In Britain, almost all clubs are privately run - and the end result is clear.
The wrong development structure
"Our girls are not doing what they should be doing from the age of 10 onwards," says Smith.
"They are having to spend too much time at school, not enough time on the tennis court.
"If you look at what our players are doing, as opposed to those players in the Spanish and American tennis academies, there is no comparison.
"By the age of 13 or 14, the British girls are so far behind they are never ever going to catch up."
The wrong culture
"British players have a different mentality to, say, Russians," says Smith.
"Players in Russia face a lot of lifestyle hardship, and see tennis as a great way to change their life. We don't have that situation in Britain.
"But there are players coming out of France, Germany and Italy, where they have a very good standard of living, so that's not the only reason.
"Young girls here all want to be Kylie Minogue or the latest pop idol.
"Then there is girls' football, a major sport now, and a team game which they can get out there and enjoy.
"Tennis, by comparison, is a long, lonely road, and you've got to be mad for it to do it.
"There's also been a long period of failure, and that doesn't help people to want to play. Who in this country is going to inspire Natalie, aged nine, to be a tennis player?
"There's no-one at the moment who would do that."
MMIX
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
