Every year during Wimbledon , the British dust off their tennis rackets and the public courts start filling up with people eager to have a bash about. On day three of Wimbledon, only two British players are still in the main draw singles – Andy Murray and Elena Baltacha – from an initial entry of 11. As an ex-tennis professional myself, I am fully aware of the immense pressure that surrounds the British players during Wimbledon as huge expectations are put on them by the media and the general public who are desperate for a home-grown champion. So how are the Brits doing on the world stage? While Andy Murray’s burgeoning career provides a much-needed boost to British tennis, particularly with Greg and Tim now retired, there is no one else likely to make the top 100 on the men’s side in the near future. One of the top male players – Alex Bogdanovic – who received his eight straight wild card into Wimbledon this year and lost in the first round for the eighth time running, admitted himself that he didn’t deserve another chance. And whilst the British ladies have performed disappointingly in this year’s singles main draw, with the exception of the gutsy Baltacha, some of the top-ranked women have had a successful year with the British number one Anne Keothavong having risen to an impressive 51 in the women’s rankings over the last few months. We also have a fantastic prospect in Laura Robson, who at 15-years old is the current holder of the Wimbledon girls’ singles title and definitely one to watch in the next couple of years. It was also encouraging to see an impressive women’s doubles display on centre court last night between two talented British pairings – Laura Robson/Georgie Stoop versus Jade Curtis/Anna Smith – with Robson/Stoop winning 13/11 in the final set, but Curtis and Smith showing immense promise. Julia Farish