With his and Emma Raducanu's recent Grand Slam triumphs, state of British tennis not as disappointing as it is made out to be, feels Andy Murray
Andy Murray doesn't think the state of British tennis is as disappointing as it is made out to be, opining that him and Emma Raducanu recently winning Grand Slams is a good sign for the sport in the country.
The recently concluded French Open saw no British woman in the main draw, while only three men made it -- Jack Draper, Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans. Murray opted out of the tournament to focus on the grasscourt swing, a good decision considering he won two Challenger events on the surface in back-to-back weeks.
Speaking to the PA news agency in a recent interview, the former World No. 1 touched on the state of tennis in Great Britain, admitting that it's always difficult to know what's considered a success for the sport.
However, with him and Raducanu winning Slams this century -- Murray in 2012 (US Open), 2013 (Wimbledon), 2016 (Wimbledon) and Raducanu in 2021 (US Open) - he reckons British tennis has seen a massive improvement recently.
The three-time Grand Slam champion hopes that things continue to improve in the coming years, especially with more Brits competing at the top of the game.
"Is it disappointing? It's always a difficult one to know what British tennis should be expecting, or what should be considered success. Because, in the last 10 years, I've won some Grand Slams, and Emma Raducanu obviously won a Grand Slam on the women's side," Andy Murray said.
"That hadn't been the case for, I don't know, 70 years on the men's side, and I think it was 40 years on the women's side - so that's a big improvement. People will want more - more players competing at the top of the game. I would obviously like to see more, but, hopefully, that will change in the next few years," he added.
Andy Murray just outside seeding spots at 2023 Wimbledon
In his pursuit for a third title at Wimbledon this year, Andy Murray might have to contend with being an unseeded player despite a strong showing in the grass swing.
A win at the recently concluded Queen's Club Championships could have helped the Brit get into the seeding spots, but he fell to eventual runner-up Alex de Minaur in the first round.
The three-time Grand Slam champion is four slots away from provisional 32nd seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, with Ben Shelton, Jiri Lehecka, Matteo Berrettini and Ugo Humbert ahead of him.