WIMBLEDON, England: British Andy Murray’s victory in Wimbledon after 77-year drought has proved that the country can prove to be more rich in the game.
According to TheNewsTribe’s correspondent from the London, UK is in love with the game after the recent wins in Tennis.
Andy Murray made history on Wimbledon’s Centre Court by winning the men’s singles in straight sets against Serb Novak Djokovic to become the first British male champion since Fred Perry in 1936.
“Tennis is one the most popular game in England and Scotland but the Murray wins work as a ‘booster’ for the popularity of the game” said Bash Hassan while talking to TheNewsTribe.
Hassan is one of the local British Tennis players who plays Tennis regularly and has many titles on his credit.
Father of three Hassan said that Tennis is again in limelight in Britain media, educational institutes, social gatherings and everywhere in UK after Murray’s wins of Wimbledon.
Local media including BBC has declared Murray’s victory as “England’s World Cup triumph in 1966, England’s Rugby World Cup victory in 2003 and Sir Bradley Wiggins ending Britain’s long wait for a winner of the Tour de France.”
While many believe that in some ways, Murray’s achievement surpasses all those. For Wimbledon to host the greatest tennis tournament in the world for so many years without a winner or even a serious challenger has been a serious embarrassment.
Because, while his victory is everything British tennis has been waiting for, it also tells us nothing about the system which is currently in place. Murray, 26, got to the top not because of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and this country’s development programmes but in spite of them.
Murray and his parents opted to take him out of the British system, moving him to a tennis academy in Barcelona to develop his game.
As Murray has continued his relentless drive to the top, so British tennis seems to have gone backwards. Murray, and Laura Robson in the women’s singles aside, no other British player got past the first round this year.
Murray highlighted the concerns when he said earlier in the tournament: “There’s not too much depth right now, that’s pretty clear. I would like there to be more players in the top 100, but it’s not the case.”
The LTA says the signs at junior level are encouraging: Oliver Golding won the US Open boys’ title (as Murray did) in 2011 and Kyle Edmund reached the semi-finals of the Wimbledon boys’ championships this year. Two years ago, the British juniors also won the Davis Cup.
The other challenge for the British Tennis is to use Murray’s victory to widen the sport’s appeal and to shake off its elitist image once and for all.
The organisation’s record on participation is pretty poor. Since 2008 the number of adults playing tennis once a week has fallen from 487,500 to 424,300.
As a consequence Sport England reduced the LTA’s funding from £24.5m to £17.4m for the four years up to 2017. A further £10.3m will be pulled if the LTA fails to show it is making progress on increasing participation.
But Roger Draper, the LTA’s outgoing chief executive, admits participation has been his biggest disappointment of his seven years in charge.
Many Britons believe that Murray’s success will encourage participation, and maybe a slightly bigger pool of talent. but achieving an ATP world ranking let alone top 100 is more about the individual than the system.
“Andy Murray wins at Wimbledon has the capacity to boost the game in UK but the challenges also there to be solved, let’s see what concern authorities will do” said Hassan.
Dear TNT Reader,
At The News Tribe, our mission is to bring you free, independent, and unbiased news and content that keeps you informed and empowered. We are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism, as we understand that we are a platform for truth.
Apart from independent global news coverage, we also commit our unique focus on the Muslim world. In an age marked by the troubling rise of Islamophobia and widespread misrepresentation of Muslims in Western media, we strive to provide accurate and fair coverage.
But to continue doing so, we need your support. Even a small donation of 1$ can make a big difference. Your contribution will help us maintain the quality of our news and counteract the negative narratives that are so prevalent.
Please consider donating today to ensure we can keep delivering the news that matters. Together, we can make a positive impact on the world, and work towards a more inclusive, informed global society.
Donate Monthly Subscription Annual Subscription