For only the fourth time this century, there will be no British singles players in the second round of the French Open.
Dan Evans and Katie Boulter were the last of the six to fall, Evans yesterday bowing out against No13 seed Holger Rune and Boulter losing out to former world No2 Paula Badosa.
Evans has always been quick to point out the ills of British tennis when required but, far from seeing this as some sort of clay-court Armageddon, he cut a positive note about the current crop of British talent on clay or otherwise.
“It’s just been a bit of a tough tournament I think,” he said. “I think we’re actually in the best spot we’ve been in with the clay for a long time.
“I think [Jack] Draper will win a lot of matches here, everywhere. I just think it’s a bit of not a great tournament. It’s just how it’s panned out. We got loads of doubles players through.”
British players have not tended to go deep in the French Open draw in the recent era but only three times in the last 100 years had none previously made round two: 2007, 2013 and most recently 2020.
Andy Murray, runner-up in 2016 and a semi-finalist on four other occasions, was something of an anomaly, allied with Tim Henman’s surprise passage to the last four in 2004.
Murray is the sole British male finalist since the outbreak of the Second World War, while a British woman has not made the final since Sue Barker back in 1976.
The reality is that, this year, on paper it always looked a tough ask for the Brits to do much of note. Murray, in his last French Open and only just back from his ankle ligament injury, was drawn against a former champion in Stan Wawrinka, neither Evans nor Boulter were favoured to win their ties, and Harriet Dart was up against a seed in Linda Noskova.
The two notable blips were that of Cameron Norrie and Jack Draper. Norrie cut a disconsolate figure after letting slip his match against world No57 Pavel Kotov, while Draper was left wondering quite how his serve had eluded him in a five-set, four-hour loss to Jesper de Jong.
Clay is not a traditional part of the culture of British tennis, unlike in countries like Spain, France, Germany and Italy, who all have experts on the surface.
The LTA has tried to address that with clay courts at the National Tennis Centre but its two outdoor courts are far from ideal preparation ground, such has been the inclement weather in the build-up to Paris this year and last in particular.
There are indoor clay courts at Roehampton but obviously those are limited, and they do not replicate the feel of the French Open.
Following not dissimilar results at Roland Garros a year ago, an LTA official said, “there is more work to do” but that “we believe we are heading in the right direction”.
For Boulter’s part, she believes she has the game to eventually crack the surface and, were it not for the odd volley or crucial point, she might well have been celebrating an impressive victory over Badosa, rather than a tough 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 loss.
“It’s going to be a tough night and I’m sure I will replay that match,” she said. “There were a lot of points which were super close.
“She hit a couple of lines and I missed by millimetres on a couple of shots which could have changed the entire match. I have to go back and focus on the positives. I think I can become a strong clay-court player.”
Boulter will get a chance to make amends at the Olympic Games, also set to be hosted by Roland Garros. The signs indicate Team GB’s medal haul is unlikely to come from Paris’ 16th arrondissement.
