The long road back

BJK Cup run shows how far British women's tennis has come since its nadir

- Tumaini Carayol

The turn of the millennium marked one of the most significant periods in women's tennis. An audacious, charismatic generation had stormed the tour, usurping the old leaders and transforming the image of the sport. Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati and Anna Kournikova often generated more attention and higher TV ratings than their male counterparts. Some transcended the sport as global superstars.

At the same time women's tennis was thriving around the world, it had reached a grim nadir in the UK. For years, not a single British woman reached the top 100. They competed almost exclusively on the lower-level ITF circuit, making fleeting cameos on the tour through wildcards at Wimbledon and during the grass season. The Fed Cup team was rooted to the zonal group stages, a world away from competing with the best teams. There had been a rich history, particularly in the grand slam-winning era of Virginia Wade and Sue Barker, but by the early 2000s Britain was completely irrelevant on the WTA Tour.