Elena: We're just not good enough

14 April 2012

Elena Baltacha admitted that the first Monday at Wimbledon has become something of a groundhog day for British women.

Every year seems the same, with the search for a heroine ending up in the graveyard.

Yesterday was no different as five British women were eliminated. Among them was British No1 Baltacha, who was humbled on Centre Court by German qualifier Sabine Klaschka

They may all have picked up losers' cheques of £7,560 but their performances did little for the reputation of tennis in this country.

Baltacha said: "We are not good enough at the moment. Every time we come to Wimbledon there are a lot of us who do not get past the first round."

At last year's tournament, the host nation managed to get four women as far as the second round for the first time since 1989 and it was considered a great success.

Baltacha made it one stage further three years ago but you have to go back to 1998 for the last time a British player, Sam Smith, made the last 16 of the women's singles.

Like most around the game, 21-year-old Baltacha is short on answers as to why there is an absence of a girl with the potential of teenage prospect Andy Murray.

But Baltacha no longer seems to care very much. She described her defeat yesterday as the worst she had played at Wimbledon but said: "I am only concerned about myself. I hope there is progress being made but I don't really know. All I know is that I am on the right road."

Whispers around the sport are that the British women are not made to work hard enough and do not fulfil their potential as a result.

It is something the Lawn Tennis Association denies but Kim Clijsters says work behind the scenes is the key to success.

Clijsters and fellow Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne have both spent periods as world No1 and achieved success of which the British can only dream.

After making light work of Yorkshire's Katie O'Brien yesterday, Clijsters said: "I am not sure what the system is like.

"I know juniors manager Carl Maes pretty well, so I hear a few things, and he is definitely trying to help women's tennis. You have to work really hard. You have to have a little bit of talent, but you also need motivation and support."

Those left carrying the standard in the women's draw today were Amanda Janes, who was facing Bulgaria's Sesil Karatantcheva, and Jane O'Donoghue, who needs to get past Anna-Lena Groenefeld to reach the second round. They could probably do with a big slice of luck, too.

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