Tennis The friendly rivalry driving on Britain's top three women's stars

BRITAIN’S leading women will have an extra incentive to perform strongly at Wimbledon over the next fortnight.

- Eleanor CROOKS

While motivation for a home grand slam is usually a given, there is a battle at the top of the game in this country which is driving Britain’s main trio forward.

Unlike in previous generations, when competition on the court often resulted in strained relations off it, Katie Boulter, Emma Raducanu and Sonay Kartal are proving that rivalry really can be friendly.

After two years as the British number one, Boulter was replaced at the top of the domestic tree earlier this month by Raducanu, the woman she had previously usurped.

Going into Eastbourne last week, Raducanu led Boulter by just a handful of points, while Kartal is the newcomer on the block, with her ranking having climbed almost 250 places in a year to 49.

"It’s really nice to see the state of British tennis getting better and better every single year," said Boulter. "I feel like I’m extremely happy to see great people doing really good things."