For almost two decades, Andy Murray has been the benchmark for British tennis success.
The former world number one by hanging up his racket allowed others to access a larger share of the stage.
As the country’s best players prepare for the new season, BBC Sport looks back at Britain’s success stories in 2024 – and you can choose the player who impressed you the most.
The Slam semi-finalist takes over from Murray
This year has been a coming of age for Jack Draper.
Her US Open semi-final drew the attention of a wider audience, but that breakthrough had taken months.
In June, the 23-year-old southpaw won his first ATP Tour title in Stuttgart and became the new British men’s number one.
This allowed him to deliver his career-best major performance in New York, break into the world top 20 and win his biggest career title in Vienna.
Become better physically equipped to face the rigors of the ATP circuit was the key to its success, although he is still working to resolve the issues that led to the illnesses on the ground.
“I feel like I’ve changed so much as a person in the last six months,” Draper said.
“Hopefully with time I can handle these things better and become the player I want to be.”
The top 25 players who go unnoticed
Legendary Billie Jean King recently said people should ‘pay more attention’ to Britain’s female number one Katie Boulter.
Boulter expressed her gratitude at being recognized by one of the sport’s icons, adding that she was happy to “go under the radar”.
It is remarkable that the 28-year-old is still able to do this, despite being in the world’s top 25 and winning two WTA titles, including the greatest of his career so far.
What has kept her from attracting more attention is the lack of a deep run in a major tournament. Another factor, perhaps, has been the interest in The return of Emma Raducanu.
“I know I can get where I want to,” said Boulter, who has not reached the third round of a Grand Slam tournament in 2024.
“I’m not going to give you numbers to tell you what my goals are next year, but I’m aiming high.”
Wimbledon winner leads the way in doubles
eight years ago Henri Patten worked at Wimbledon as an IBM outdoor court data collector.
Today, the 28-year-old is the SW19 men’s doubles champion.
It’s been an astonishing rise for a player who started the year well outside the top 100 and had little pedigree on the ATP Tour.
He then teamed up with Finnish Harri Heliovaara. They won the title in Marrakech in their first tournament together, before triumphing in Lyon and Stockholm alongside Wimbledon.
“It’s been a year of firsts and there are so many things I’m proud of that we’ve been able to achieve,” said Patten, who made his Davis Cup debut in September.
The ranking amounts
Few outside British tennis circles would have heard of Jacob Fearnley Or Sonay Kartal before this year.
Just over a year ago, Fearnley, 23, was unranked in professional football. He finished the season among the top 100 players.
Winning four ATP Challenger titles led to the fifth biggest increase in the men’s ranking since 2000.
The rise of Kartal has also been strong.
The 23-year-old started the year outside the top 250 and feared she would miss the remainder of the season due to illness.
After several hospital visits, Kartal was given the green light to return in April. Now the world number 85 is celebrating the best year of his career after winning a first WTA title.
Like Fearnley, the reward is direct entry into a Grand Slam main draw for the first time at the upcoming Australian Open.
The 30-time Grand Slam champion
Even with many successes behind him, Alfie Hewett felt the pressure as he aimed to finally clinch the men’s wheelchair singles title at Wimbledon and complete a career Grand Slam.
Hewett overcame the ‘heavy weight’ on his shoulders to beat Spaniard Martin de la Puenta and claimed another doubles triumph alongside Gordon Reid on the ‘best day’ of his life.
With one career ambition ticked off, the 26-year-old achieved another by winning Paralympic gold with Reid in Paris.
“Sitting here with the two things we targeted at the beginning of the year is something I’m very proud of,” Hewett said. told BBC Look East.
“I’m not sure what the next chapter will be. I’ll definitely keep playing, but I just want to enjoy it.”
Juniors give hope for the future
The task of British tennis is to develop the next generation of talent and avoid another 35 years of waiting for a Grand Slam singles champion.
The performance of British juniors This year – in singles, doubles and team events – brought optimism.
Mika Stojsavljevic, who turned 16 last week, won the US Open women’s singles title, while Mimi Xu, 17, and Charlie Robertson, 18, reached the final four in New York.
Henry Searle, 18, winner of the Wimbledon boys’ singles in 2023, and Hannah Klugman, 15, winner of last year’s prestigious Orange Bowl junior championships, continued to progress.
“Success in junior tennis is certainly a strong indicator of long-term potential but, of course, it is not a guarantee,” said LTA head of women’s tennis Iain Bates.
“Seeing young players reach the end of Junior Grand Slams is a sign of the health of the course.”
