"Seeds of success have been sown"

With the Lawn Tennis Association under the spotlight in the wake of a fifth consecutive Davis Cup defeat in Lithuania, Ross Matheson, Group Racquets Manager with David Lloyd Leisure, shares his views on the future of British tennis

Is the stage set to make the most of the upsurge in tennis participation after Andy reigns supreme in SW19 this year? Are we really just seven Murray matches away from a heyday in British tennis? And most importantly, how are our clubs prepped to make the most of any anticipated boom?

At David Lloyd Leisure we are more than primed for a second bounce of the ball and with the help and support of the LTA we have no doubt come a long way in an amazingly short period.

British tennis and its future is undoubtedly a hot topic among sport fans of every shape and colour. We all want more stars but tennis aces aren’t going to appear over night - our current crop of talent needs time and the right support to develop. What’s for sure is there are no guarantees. To become a top 100 player is a truly complicated recipe and an almost impossible dish to replicate.

Commitment and support

Successful elite tennis players are borne out of hard work, commitment and a great competitive structure in which they can nurture and truly push themselves to achieve their very best. Of course talent is important but it is only one ingredient. They require the commitment and professional services of great coaches and the never ending support of family and friends. It is the innovative coaching techniques delivered by his mum and coaching team that set the foundation for Andy’s rise to the top of the game. The sacrifice involved for both players and those around them is immense from a very early age. They must ensure that any effort is applied intelligently and with care, and that they are working on the right things at the right time. After all, there are plenty of talented players who have sacrificed everything and fallen short.

Successful players also need to prove themselves as unique individuals. They must have the ability to manage their emotions and survey matches with a detached professionalism looking for the hidden path to victory. Even if players lose, the ability to squeeze every last drop of wisdom from a loss, gather the lessons and look forwards is a critical skill.

Cutting edge

Sport continues to evolve and so must the way we as a governing body teach, operate and take overall responsibility for its progress. The much criticised LTA has been at the cutting edge of delivering tennis to future generations of British players. Its Competition Framework is an exciting way to play, learn and compete from as early as 5 years old. Scaled-down courts, balls and racquets and a standardised competition framework for all ages is a fun, exciting and supportive way to experience tennis during truly formative years.

The LTA has also set up a support structure that ensures no talent within our clubs can slip through the net and the best David Lloyd Leisure players in clubs are taken through County, Regional and finally National Talent ID processes to make sure they are found, developed and supported at every step. Likewise, David Lloyd Leisure Coaches are advised how to best work with players so all aspects of their development are considered and painstakingly measured.

David Lloyd Leisure appreciates the incredibly difficult challenge in creating players that can reach the hallowed top 100. We are constantly striving to deliver exceptional development programs in all our clubs. The quality within the programs we deliver to our children is where our focus lies. If we can help the LTA find the next top 100 players then great, but we must also ensure that we teach our junior members so that they have the skills to enjoy tennis for a lifetime, whatever level they reach. That is our focus. There are some 14,000 children attending our programs every week and I am convinced there are future top 100 players within our Tennis Allstars. We already have some of the best juniors in the country, with 34 players ranked in the top of their respective age groups regularly playing in our clubs. But we will need to wait many years before these youngsters develop into the Andy Murrays of tomorrow and again, there is no guarantee. We should enjoy and savour the fortunate position that we have players at the top of the game that we can follow and support.

Seeds sown

Our current situation is a consequence of the decisions made in years gone by and you simply cannot point the finger at Roger Draper and his team’s recent decisions. You do not make a champion or develop talent in four years. There cannot be a more coordinated and organised system as there is in the UK at the moment. The seeds of the future have been sown and we simply must not now dig those seeds up to start all over again.

We all want a Wimbledon Champion, but more importantly, we want a sustainable and organised way to continue to produce good players who can enjoy this sport for a lifetime.