What could have been a disastrous Wimbledon from a British perspective turned into a memorable fortnight thanks to the heroics of Arthur Fery.
The wild card’s run to the semi-finals has injected a much-needed shot of positivity and given British fans a new name to follow in the grand slams to come.
Fery and his team deserve a huge amount of credit for the way he navigated being suddenly thrust into the spotlight as the only home singles player to make it beyond the second round.
The challenge for the 24-year-old now is to acclimatise to his new standing in the game and the loss of anonymity and the freedom that brings with it.
Fery’s success, though, should not mask the wider picture. The fortnight began with Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper withdrawing through injury and all 10 British players losing on the opening day, with only four of 19 making it through to the second round.
The women’s draw saw a heartwarming victory for Katie Swan after back problems so severe she thought she would have to retire, but she was the only home player to win a match.
Katie Boulter was tearful after her first-round loss to teenage qualifier Tyra Caterina Grant, although she has had a strong year on the whole, while Fran Jones, Harriet Dart, Alicia Dudeney, Mimi Xu, Hannah Klugman and Mika Stojsavljevic were all beaten.
Billie Jean King Cup captain Anne Keothavong said: “It’s been a difficult one for the British women.
“I think most of them had tough draws. Maybe what British fans expect is sometimes unrealistic when you look at the bigger picture, but there were one or two losses when you would have expected the British player to come through that.
“It’s just been tough overall for everyone but you win some, you lose some.”
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Xu, Klugman and Stojsavljevic are teenage players of real promise but Britain only has seven women in the world’s top 250 compared to 13 men.
The strength in depth on the men’s side, particularly among players aged 24 and under, is encouraging, and the target should be to at least double the three direct entrants Britain had in the men’s draw this year in 12 months’ time.
Greater numbers in the top 100 would reduce the dependence on Draper and Raducanu, neither of whom seems able to develop the required physical robustness.
Draper at least appears to have recovered quickly from a flare up of bone bruising in his arm and is planning to return to action later this month in Washington.
Raducanu’s comeback from a stress fracture will not be as swift and she faces a race to be fit for the US Open at the end of August, while Sonay Kartal, who reached the fourth round at Wimbledon last year, is another player struggling with injury having been sidelined by a back problem since March.
Keothavong said: “For Emma and Jack, I think that was a big blow for them most of all, but for everyone who was looking forward to seeing them compete.
“Especially for Emma, having made the final in Queen’s, she was playing some great tennis. I just hope it’s not too long and that she’s back soon.”
Another area of concern, meanwhile, is the dearth of top-level British juniors – only four across the top 100 of the boys’ and girls’ rankings, not counting Klugman.
The boys’ side is especially sparse, with even the Lawn Tennis Association, which has invested heavily in a national academy in Loughborough, admitting there is a gap.
Judy Murray is among those who believe the centralised system is flawed, and Wimbledon offered a snapshot of both the successes and challenges.
