We always feared that life after Andy Murray would be a barren wasteland for the country that brought tennis to the world, but the reality seems pleasantly different.
British number 1s Jack Draper and Katie Boulter are 15 and 24 years old respectively in the world, Emma Raducanu is making good progress as she continues to learn the ways of the tour, Cam Norrie is back in the top 50 after a difficult year and there are a few of other names that could be introduced in 2025.
Draper’s stated mission is to chase Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner at the top of the game, but first he must crack the top 10 and routinely reach the later stages of the Grand Slams.
New York has been a happy hunting ground for the 23-year-old, but he has yet to progress beyond the second round in any of the other three majors.
Boulter is an incredible natural ball striker, but her body has historically not been able to keep her on the field consistently.
This year that changed and the results were impressive, with three finals and two titles. If she can keep herself fit, that progress should continue, and like Draper, the Grand Slams should be the target – she has yet to make a fourth career run.
Despite the retirement of Andy Murray, the state of British tennis is promising heading into 2025
The respective British number 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 aims to get back to her sparkling best in the new year
Raducanu has hired Yutaka Nakamura as its first permanent fitness trainer and that has the potential to be a transformational hire. The 22-year-old played far too few events last year and has yet to build the basic level of competitive fitness required to compete on the tour.
Nakamura, formerly of Naomi Osaka and Maria Sharapova, should be the man to change that. Raducanu recently admitted to us that she had not done her planning properly this year: “As far as the tournaments are concerned, I don’t think there has been a clear enough plan,” she said.
‘We were too short-sighted. Going forward, we will look much more holistically: how are we going to build the schedule around the key objectives for this year?’
BRITISH 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 since won 27 of his 30 matches on the Challenger tour, including four titles, and is in the top 100 and the main draw for next month’s Australian Open. By October, when he reached his peak position of 89, he had risen 1,795 places in 12 months – the next biggest rise in that time was 168 places.
The 23-year-old from Edinburgh obviously grew up idolizing Andy Murray, and there are echoes of his compatriot in Fearnley’s all-court game, built on excellent movement.
Jacob Fearnley will look to continue his development after rocketing up the rankings in 2024
Sonay Kartal recovered from a health crisis earlier this year and captured several minor titles
GB’s Davis Cup captain Leon Smith has known Fearnley since he was high and recently said: ‘He’s gone very quickly. It’s really impressive. It’s one thing to move up the rankings, but you also see his quality, you look at the players he has beaten.”
Then there is Sonay Kartal, a young woman who begins to step out of the shadow of her former junior sparring partner Raducanu. Despite a serious health crisis early this year, she won six minor titles this year and in October claimed a first WTA trophy in Monastir, Tunisia, which put her in the top 100.
At 6ft 1in and changing she won’t blow anyone off the pitch, but the 23-year-old moves beautifully and could develop into Britain’s rarest breed: a clay court specialist.
MAJOR RIVALRIES AROSE
This was the year that drew the battle lines for tennis’s next great rivalry. Sinner and Alcaraz split the majors between them, with the Italian winning both the hard-court slams and the Spaniard deciding on grass and clay.
They start as favorites to defend their titles and each man must now try to encroach on the other’s territory. On the women’s side, Aryna Sabalenka has finally made Iga Swiatek world number 1 and the stage is clear for these two to battle for many years to come.
Expect the rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner to reach new heights as they continue to collect major accolades
It’s up to Swiatek to prove she can dominate at majors other than her French Open bencher. One wish for this rivalry in 2025: Neither has captured the public’s imagination, largely because, for all their compelling matches, none had a major title on the line.
Surely this is the year where the best players of each gender face each other on the biggest stage?
DOPING CLARITY
Two of the aforementioned stars, Sinner and Swiatek, failed drug tests last year and the fallout was messy.
What became clear was the lack of confidence players and fans have in the Tennis Integrity Agency’s processes. The core of the complaints is that it is one rule for the megastars and another for the supporters.