In the last two decades, Britain stands alone as the only nation to have swept all major titles: men’s and women’s singles, doubles, and mixed. This recent success builds upon a rich heritage, ignited in the 1920s and 30s by Frederick John Perry’s ten Grand Slam victories, including a Wimbledon triple crown. Later, Virginia Wade’s 1977 Wimbledon triumph paved the way for British women, holding the distinction of the last British singles major champion until Andy Murray’s 2012 US Open win, and the last British woman until Emma Raducanu’s 2021 US Open victory. Yet, amidst the contemporary excitement surrounding players like Murray and Jack Draper, the enduring legacy of pioneers like Wade risks being overshadowed – a point Andy Roddick is keen to emphasize.

Virginia Wade won three Grand Slam titles (1968, 1972, 1977) in her career, and on her road to her last Slam triumph at the 1977 Wimbledon Championships, she defeated America’s Chris Evert in the SF by 6-2,4-6,6-1. In the final, she beat Betty Stove in yet another three-setter to claim the championship, nine days before her 32nd birthday. It was a memorable moment for all the British tennis fans. 

It took nearly 35 years for Andy Murray to break the British Grand Slam singles drought, triumphing at the 2012 US Open. He then etched his name further in history by becoming the first British male Wimbledon champion in 77 years, since Fred Perry’s 1936 win, when he lifted the trophy in 2013.

At times, people forget that other than Perry and Murray, Wade won the Wimbledon title in her career. Speaking about this unfortunate snub, American former pro, Andy Roddick, shared his thoughts on his podcast, ‘Served’ on Tuesday.

“Hey, by the way, in all the in all these conversations and it used to kind of I won’t say bother me, but it was it’s worth mentioning. Every time you say hasn’t won since Fred Perry, we do not ignore Virginia Wade winning in 1977. Just level set. You know, she did it before Murray. We like to, you know, compartmentalize, you know, male, female, whatever,” said Roddick.

Since Wade’s retirement in 1986, her absence was always felt on the women’s side. Then came Emma Raducanu in 2021. Although Emma Raducanu got success at a pretty early age, maintaining consistency has been the major challenge for this Brit. Naturally, someone had to take over! Currently, Katie Boulter (40) is the highest-ranked British women’s player. 

If we take a look at American tennis, Andy Roddick, the 2003 US Open champion), was the last one to win a major title. Although Taylor Fritz came closer to clinching the US Open title last year, he eventually went down to Jannik Sinner in the final. During the same podcast, he then went on to add,

“Also, whenever the question gets asked about, we haven’t had a, you know, slam winner since in this country since I’m like, no, no, no. The women win all the time. Like it’s so just let’s level set their props to Virginia Wade. She cannot be ignored in any conversation that we have that is on this topic.“

Coming back to British tennis, we’re just a few months away from the 2025 Wimbledon Championships. Can we see a British tennis player winning this title yet again? On that note, Jack Draper’s title triumph at the Indian Wells has now put him in the spotlight. And Roddick has a word or two to say about this young lad. 

Roddick on how the “insane” 2009 Wimbledon clash with Andy Murray have eased things for Draper

Recently, Roddick recalled a few moments of his meeting with Andy Murray at the 2009 Wimbledon Championships. The American was in pursuit of his second Grand Slam title and the first at Wimbledon. On the other side, Murray was under some real pressure, as he was all set to get a step closer to becoming the first British man to win Wimbledon since Perry in 1936.

Explaining those moments, Roddick said, “Murray mania all the time. To give you a sense of how nuts it is there, I made the semis in 2009. You go to Aorangi Park or wherever to hit and his practice court is surrounded. You cannot get a 40-minute hit in without some picture being taken.”

Although ultimately Roddick won that match in four sets but he tells that, “I had made the finals of Wimbledon twice, the semis again. It wasn’t like I was a dud. I find myself in the semis, beat Hewitt in five in the quarters, and I wake up to a preview of the final – Murray vs Federer. And so I am seeing that and thinking this is ridiculous, I can only imagine what Murray’s life looked like for a moment in time.” Such was the craze at that time.

So, relating to that moment and what Andy Murray went through, he believes, Jack Draper, who currently aims to create some history of his own, can get a lot of help. “I am sure some of that is probably mitigated by Murray’s successes [for Draper] you are not trying to break Fred Perry’s record from the 20’s. So him having done it probably softens the first time since x of things a little bit but it is mania.” On the other hand, he has given his review of the Brit.

After winning the title at Indian Wells, Draper said that he has no intentions of slowing down. “I want to be a great player and I want to achieve amazing things in this sport, but my main goal is to keep on improving and keep on knuckling down.” However, Jack Draper has often struggled with his fitness issues in his career. Hence, Roddick wants to go slow with this youngster.

“I love Draper’s process and I love the way he’s working, but I don’t like to skip steps so I wouldn’t say that he’s definitely proven himself as a top player. If I’m him, I’m going, ‘OK, I’ve proven I can beat everyone in the world. I’ve beaten Alcaraz in a tournament that he loves, I’ve made the semis of a major,” said Roddick.

However, he further added, “Believing in your body and knowing that it can stay there, and you’re not having to compromise decision-making to shorten points, that’s a big deal. You can’t force belief, but I’ve got to think it’s starting to come in at a pretty accelerated rate for Draper.“

Seeing the rise of Draper, Raducanu, and Boulter, do you think British tennis is in safe hands at the moment?