Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu were winners of the inaugural Prime Video Future Talent Award, supported by Andy Murray.
The tears flowed as Andy Murray waved his farewells to tennis this summer, but the boom he has inspired in British tennis is set to be one of his greatest legacies.
The long wait for a British Wimbledon champion became something of a national embarrassment long before Murray attempted to end the hoodoo.
Roger Taylor, Davis Lloyd, Jeremy Bates, Great Rusedski and Tim Henman were among those who tried and failed to seal a men’s singles title in a Grand Slam, but near misses were to be their speciality.
Then Murray broke the glass ceiling with his US Open win in 2012 and a Wimbledon triumph a year later that was instantly installed as one of the iconic moments in British sporting history.
While there has been some debate over whether Murray’s success has been fully embraced by British tennis chiefs, the evidence on the courts of the 2024 US Open confirms the future could be thrilling for British tennis.
Jack Draper’s run to the semi-finals has exceeded expectations for a player who was part of an 2019 initiative that promoted young players sponsored by Amazon Prime and the LTA, the governing body of British tennis.
The other player backed by that Prime Video Future Talent Award was a certain Emma Raducanu, who famously went on to win the 2021 US Open.
The success of Draper and Raducanu highlights the importance of talent identification and the right funding to a support a player at the formative stages of their careers, with Murray’s presence as the iconic figurehead of British tennis inspiring Draper and Raducanu to reach for the stars.
“Andy inspired me massively, I tell him all the time, when we’re having a serious conversation, that he’s done amazingly well and he’s definitely inspired so many players,” said Draper.
“I’ve been able to become good friends with him and joke around and get to know him outside of tennis. When I have a question I pick up the phone and speak to him.
“What an unbelievable career the guy has had. Icon of the game. I miss him in the changing rooms. I miss being next to his stinky shoes and all of his stinky clothes. Andy is a legend. If I have half the career that he’s had, then I’ll be a happy man.”
If Draper and Raducanu two are the first British champions of the post-Murray era to make breakthroughs at the top of the game, stand by for an impressive cohort of new stars to join them in the coming years.
The US Open hosts a juniors event every year, with Murray a winner of that title back in 2004.
A glance at this year’s draws for the US Open juniors highlights the quality of British stars coming through the ranks, with Mimi Xu and Mika Stojsavljevic reaching the semi-finals of the Girls’ singles and Murray’s Scottish protege Charlie Robertson making it through to the last four in the Boys’ singles.
Britain also had a Junior Wimbledon champion in Henry Searle last year, with former British No 1 Tim Henman suggesting the LTA and the support programmes they have put in place are reaping big rewards.
“When you reflect on the last 25-30 years of the LTA, they have rightly had some criticism that they haven’t produced enough players on the performance side,” Henman told Tennis365.
“Now, when you look at the strength in depth of British players, it has improved massively on both the men’s and women’s side. So that’s where they deserve a lot of credit.
“Leadership comes from the top and I think Scott Lloyd (LTA CEO) has really got a good structure in place and there is a really positive vibe about British tennis.
“Performance and participation are two different areas, but they are connected. The more people you can get to play the game, the more we have with the bat and ball in hand, it has to be a good thing.”
Murray’s eagerness to offer help and advice to youthful tennis stars training at the LTA’s National Tennis Centre in London ensures the next generation has benefitted from the experience and knowledge of a true champion, with Draper and Raducanu part of what is shaping up to be a golden generation for the British game.
