MORE than £200million has flowed into British tennis coffers over the past five years — and yet we still end up with horror shows like this French Open.
Never before has there been so much cash floating around the sport, thanks overwhelmingly to the success of Wimbledon.
But somehow our best Brits develop feet of clay whenever they cross the Channel.
Six entered the singles draws at Roland Garros — and were all home before their postcards arrived.
Failure is richly rewarded in tennis and the half-dozen flops banked a total of £372,000 for winning FIVE out of 21 sets.
It is the fourth time this century — after 2007, 2013 and 2020 — that no GB singles player has made the second round at Roland Garros.
That is pitiful. Austria, Bulgaria, Egypt, Latvia and Tunisia are not exactly hotbeds of racquet play and yet they have all done better than us.
Where is the outcry and accountability of this Brexit from the well-paid officials at the Lawn Tennis Association, who bank between £40-50m annually from the All England club?
LTA bigwigs can talk all they like about numbers of junior players at Slams and participation numbers nationwide but the money is not being spent properly.
The past three days in Paris have been unsatisfactory and when Andy Murray hangs up his racquet, the cupboard looks bare.
There has to be some acknowledgement that ZERO wins this fortnight should not be tolerated.
At the LTA, there will be no inquest or resignations.
If this was football, rugby or cricket, there would be a root-andbranch review.
So why has this happened? It’s a lack of hunger within GB ranks. There is a soft underbelly.
Wimbledon papers over the cracks, handing out lucrative wildcards to undeserving home-grown players who have not done anything all year.
Why show the passion, fight and desire when you know you will get a freebie each summer?
Make them work harder for those handouts.
Maybe Dan Evans— who was beaten in straight sets by world No 13 Holger Rune on Tuesday — was on to something when he suggested some fellow Brits care more about increasing Instagram followers than improving volleys.
The Brummie, 34, said: “Sometimes you can have four in the third round and we’d be jumping from the treetops.
“Last year, we were saying how good we were in Wimbledon.
“You guys will be saying, ‘We’ve four in the fourth round of Wimbledon, British tennis is flying!’
“We play on grass for three weeks. But yeah, you guys counted the posts on Instagram yet?
“How many people have posted about the grass from Britain? There will be a few more tomorrow … ”
Yes, there was once a time, pre- Murray, when Britain had one or two players in a foreign Slam.
The Scotsman, 37, is beyond any criticism, his legacy is confirmed, he will be remembered as our greatest star of the Open Era.
Emma Raducanu, 21, can also be taken out of this argument because what she did at the 2021 US Open cuts her a lot of slack.
Admittedly, she has not kicked on — due to injuries — and there is concern over her multiple sponsorship commitments.
Cameron Norrie, who should have won his first-round match, appears to have plateaued at 28. Jack Draper, 22, is ambitiously planning to reconstruct his game. And 27-year-old Katie Boulter has done well to reach No 27 in the world but she is not going to make second weeks of Slams.
Harriet Dart, Heather Watson, Katie Swan and Jodie Burrage have not cut it at the highest level.
One of the funniest lines spoken at this year’s tournament was from Aussie Max Purcell, who lost in five sets to Henri Squire after wasting six match points.
The former SW19 doubles champ gave a blunt assessment of his situation, saying: “Tennis is s**t.”
He wasn’t talking about British tennis ? but could have been!
