We always feared life after Andy Murray would be a barren wasteland for the country that brought lawn tennis to the world but the reality appears pleasingly different.
British No1s Jack Draper and Katie Boulter are at 15 and 24 in the world respectively, Emma Raducanu is progressing well as she continues to learn the ways of the tour, Cam Norrie is back in the top 50 after a tough year and there are a couple of other names who could introduce themselves in 2025.
Draper’s avowed mission is to chase down Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner at the top of the game but first he must crack the top 10 and start to routinely make the later stages of the Grand Slams.
New York has been a happy hunting ground for the 23-year-old but he is yet to make it past the second round in any of the other three majors.
Boulter is an incredible natural ball-striker but her body has historically been incapable of keeping her on court consistently.
That changed this year and the results were impressive, with three finals and two titles. If she can keep herself fit that progress ought to continue, and like Draper the Grand Slams should be the target – she is yet to make a fourth round in her career.
Despite Andy Murray’s retirement, the state of British tennis is promising heading into 2025
Respective British No 1s Jack Draper and Katie Boulter are making their mark on the world stage
Meanwhile Emma Raducanu has hired a renowned fitness trainer as she looks to return to her scintillating best in the new year
Raducanu has hired Yutaka Nakamura as her first permanent fitness trainer and that has the potential to be a transformational appointment. The 22-year-old played far too few events last year and is yet to build up the base level of match fitness required to compete on the tour.
Nakamura, formerly of Naomi Osaka and Maria Sharapova, should be the man to change that. Raducanu admitted to us recently that she did not get her scheduling right this year: ‘In terms of tournaments, I don’t think there has been a clear enough plan,’ she said.
‘We’ve looked too short-sighted. Going forward, we’re looking a lot more holistically: how are we going to build the schedule around the main objectives for this year?’
BRITS TO WATCH
On the men’s side is Jacob Fearnley, who has had an extraordinary rise up the rankings since graduating from Texas Christian University in May.
He has won 27 of his 30 matches on the Challenger tour since then, including four titles, and is in the top 100 and the main draw for next month’s Australian Open. In October, when he hit his peak rank of 89, he had risen by 1,795 places in 12 months – the next biggest rise in that time was by 168 spots.
The 23-year-old from Edinburgh grew up idolising Andy Murray, of course, and there are echoes of his countryman in Fearnley’s all-court game built on excellent movement.
Jacob Fearnley will be looking to continue his development after rocketing up the rankings in 2024
Sonay Kartal recovered from a health scare earlier this year to capture several minor titles
GB’s Davis Cup captain Leon Smith has known Fearnley since he was yay high, and said recently: ‘He has gone really quickly. It is really impressive. It is one thing going up the rankings but you also see his quality, you look at the players he’s been beating.’
Then there is Sonay Kartal, a young woman who is beginning to step out of the shadow of her former junior sparring partner Raducanu. Despite a serious health scare early in the year she won six lower-tier titles this year and in October came a first WTA trophy in Monastir, Tunisia, which lifted her into the top 100.
At 5ft 3in and change she is not going to blow anyone off the court but the 23-year-old moves beautifully and could develop into that rarest of breeds in Britain: a clay court specialist.
GREAT RIVALRIES EMERGE
This was the year when battle lines were drawn for the next great rivalries in tennis. Sinner and Alcaraz carved up the majors between them, the Italian winning both hard court Slams and the Spaniard ruling on grass and clay.
They start as favourites to defend their titles and each man must now try to encroach on the other’s territory. On the women’s side, Aryna Sabalenka finally overhauled Iga Swiatek as world No1 and the stage is set for those two to do battle for many years.
Expect Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s rivalry to reach new heights as they continue to collect major accolades
The onus is on Swiatek to prove she can dominate at majors other than her French Open banker. One wish for these rivalries in 2025: neither has quite captured the public’s imagination, largely because, for all their enthralling matches, none have come with a major title on the line.
Surely this is the year when the best players of each gender face off on the biggest stage?
DOPING CLARITY
Two of the above-mentioned stars, Sinner and Swiatek, failed doping tests last year and the fallout was messy.
What became clear was the lack of trust players and fans have in the processes of the Tennis Integrity Agency. The gist of the complaints is that it is one rule for the megastars and another for the rank and file.
