sport INDEX


GAME, SET & MATCH


Tennis – only the British could be so elitist about sport…and so intent on putting certain sports into such clearly defi ned categories


Words David Leck


t’s probably our climate; maybe it’s decades of under investment in facilities and coaching. Whatever it is, it’s a safe bet we’ll fi le rugby under “winter”, consign golf to the pile headed “only when the sun shines” and, as for tennis, isn’t that a game played for two weeks each summer when the sport’s elite descends on SW19? There was a time when the words “tennis” and “elitist” were, if not inseparable, pretty much connected in our psyche. But our sporting tastes are changing. Footballers have been deserting


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weekend leagues in their tens of thousands, boxing is the only sport to be recording an increase in participation among the 16 to 25 age group and, whether or not it’s down to Murray, Djokovic and Nadal, tennis is certainly doing its best to shed a stuffy members-only image. The ATP (Association of Tennis


Professionals) Finals came to London four years ago and is now the most successful indoor tournament in the world. Such has been its popularity, organisers have announced a further two-year residency at


the O2 Arena, giving tennis fans in South East England the chance to see the world’s top eight players battle it out for the year- end title. But where does the sport currently stand at grass roots level? “Tennis does still face a number of challenges, as do many sports, but there is no doubt the Lawn Tennis Association and clubs like ours all over the country are making real progress in ensuring the game is affordable, accessible and one that can be played year-round,” says Sarah Deason, Club Manager at Tunbridge Wells Lawn


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