Baltacha stands up for beaten Brits
On the Wire
Elena Baltacha has launched a stirring defence of British tennis as she prepared to launch a bid for a place in the third round of Wimbledon.
The Kiev-born 25-year-old is the only home survivor in the women's singles while Andy Murray flies the flag for Britain's men after nine out of 11 players fell at the first hurdle.
"I'm really chuffed that I'm in the second round and it's a shame that none of the other girls got through," she said. "We all had really tough draws and if you look at their matches, they all lost a tight two sets or a tight three sets."
Baltacha added: "I think what happens is that everyone gets so over-excited during Wimbledon and you've got to look at the bigger picture.
"It's not about the one week, it's about the whole year. This is one tournament. It is very special, don't get me wrong, and it is great if we can do well here.
"But, if not, you've got to look at what we've been doing throughout the year. All the girls have improved their ranking and there are four or five of us who are nearly top 100 now. We haven't had that for such a long time."
Baltacha will meet Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens in the second round on Thursday.
