British tennis has endured a tumultuous year.
There have been major highs, with Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart securing WTA Tour titles, and Sonay Kartal reaching her first WTA 1000 final at the Wuhan Open.
Arthur Fery also produced some marvellous tennis to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals.
Wheelchair tennis star Alfie Hewett also won the US Open, as did able-bodied doubles player Neal Skupski.
However, there have also been some significant lows – most poignantly, the considerable struggles of British players at the Wimbledon Championships and the long-term injury absences of Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu.
British players have taken a lot of flak from fans and pundits over the past year. It is therefore ironic that they have now made tennis history.
British players secure tennis history for their nation
As per the Lawn Tennis Association, for the first time since 1978, there are four British women and four British men ranked inside the world’s top 100 in the same week.
Who is the best player in British women’s tennis right now? 🇬🇧
Make your case in the comments!
Arthur Fery, Cameron Norrie, Jacob Fearnley and Toby Samuel are all ranked inside the ATP top 100 this week.
Jan Choinski is Britain’s next highest-ranked player – the 30-year-old is ranked 113th on the circuit.
On the WTA Tour, Katie Boulter, Sonay Kartal, Harriet Dart and Francesca Jones are all ranked inside the top 100.
Emma Raducanu sits just outside the top 100, ranked 106th on the Tour. Raducanu has not played a match since reaching the Queen’s Club Championships final in June.
Many of these players could rise even further up the rankings this week.
British tennis players ranked inside the top 100 on the ATP Tour and WTA Tour
- Arthur Fery – 32
- Cameron Norrie – 45
- Jacob Fearnley – 90
- Toby Samuel – 97
- Katie Boulter – 49
- Sonay Kartal – 52
- Harriet Dart – 84
- Francesca Jones – 98
Where are British players competing this week?
Boulter and Fery are the most high-profile British players competing in WTA Tour events this week.
Boulter was defeated by Claire Liu in the Hong Kong Open second round on Wednesday.
As for Fery, he was knocked out of the Paris Master in the first round by home favourite Quentin Halys.
Cameron Norrie was also knocked out in the first round of the same event, losing to US Open finalist Ben Shelton.
Toby Samuel is competing in the Bratislava Challenger. He will play Slovakian Luka Pokorny in the first round.
