Can Britain win a Grand Slam in 2020?
All things told it's been a rather glum 12 months for tennis in Britain with very little for the nation to shout about. That is starting to change with Andy Murray getting back to full fitness but as for performances in the Grand Slams, well, the less said the better sadly. With that in mind, the end of the year brings about some time for reflection and the start of the year gives everyone fresh hope. The burning question is: can Britain get near a Grand Slam title in 2020 or dare we say even win one?
A quick glance at both the male and female world rankings would suggest otherwise with Britain's highest man, Dan Evans ranked 42nd in the world. It does get slightly better with the women’s rankings though as Johanna Konta sits in 12th position and in far better shape to threaten the leaders in women’s tennis.
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— Johanna Konta (@JohannaKonta) July 8, 2019
It has been some time since a British woman was able to get her hands on a Grand Slam trophy, some 42 years to be exact after Virginia Wade won Wimbledon in 1977. The omens aren’t good but records are there to be broken and we have been seeing an increase in the number of different winners in women’s Grand Slams now that Serena Williams is on the doorstep of turning 40.
To illustrate just how much of a bunfight it currently is in women’s tennis you just have to have a look at the tennis betting and latest odds for the Australian Open. Even as the favorite, Serena Williams is at odds of 11/2 which quite frankly tells you that no one has a clue who will triumph in Melbourne. The door is certainly open for Konta and the whole of Britain will be hoping she is able to run through it.
Andy Murray, on the other hand, comes in as an outsider at 25/1 but the signs are there that he can mount a legitimate challenge after beating Stan Wawrinka in October to win the European Open. Indeed, Murray has pretty much regained his powers again and won’t be the same player who was hobbling around the court like he did the last time he played in the Australian Open.
So much needs to go his way but after undergoing a hip resurfacing procedure in January 2019 the 32-year-old Scot won’t just be making up the numbers again. The biggest weapon in Murray’s arsenal at this stage of his career has to be his competitive spirit which always pushes the three-time Grand Slam winner to the next level.
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— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) October 20, 2019
Great players often rely on the power of the mind just as much as their serve or backhands to get them over the line in Grand Slams, and if Britain are to turn this bad run around then they will need to show a mental fortitude not seen for many a moon.
Who's to say how the 2020 Grand Slams do indeed play out? After all, there's so much extraordinary talent fighting it out. But you can be quite sure that Britain will be a lot closer to winning next year than they were in 2019.