How Fearnley can help cement Murray legacy

French Open 2025

Dates: May 25 through June 8th, Location: Roland Garros, Paris

A youngster making his French Open debut could soon make a big splash in the Scottish tennis scene amid the quiet revolution.

Jacob Fearnley of Edinburgh is one victory away from achieving the top 50 in the world. He takes on home favorite Ugo Humbert on Thursday in Paris, who is currently 52nd in the live projected rankings.

After a fantastic year in Australia, he will not just make it to the third round of back-to-back majors if he wins.

Only one male Scottish-born player before him will breathe a significant amount of the elite air of the sport.

Murray first topped the rankings in February 2006, and he did so for 12 years, winning three Grand Slams, two Olympic golds, and a Davis Cup.

This week, the band reunited on the Philippe Chatrier court to honor the Spaniard’s extraordinary accomplishments in that prestigious arena by honoring his participation in the “Big Four” with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.

Nearly ten years have passed since Murray became the world’s number one. Despite Dunblane’s best players being in the sun, doubts persisted over what Scottish tennis was doing in the wake of the years that followed.

It required money, patience, and time. However, a significant advance is being made, and Fearnley is one of its manifestations.

He was not even in the top 500 a year ago. He started 2024 ranked 646th. Since the current system’s inception, this rise has been one of the quickest.

He has also affected some well-known players, including Nick Kyrgios on his home court in Melbourne and Stan Wawrinka, who won the French Open in Paris last year and who defeated Djokovic on Centre Court at Wimbledon.

Fearnley now seems to feel completely at home performing on a stage of his own.

He praised the straight sets victory over Wawrinka in the opening round as “I really enjoyed it.” “I believe part of the battle was simply not letting his name and tennis skills get into my head.” Really, just concentrate on myself.

I believe that the more I learn how to play these players in these settings. The less foreign-feeling you feel the more you expose yourself to situations.

Fearnley is not a veteran at this time. The 23-year-old is setting the tone for a remarkable run for the British game.

His childhood friend, Jack Draper, is now a serious contender for every tournament he enters, joining his father in the process.

With a season-changing victory over Daniil Medvedev, fellow Scot Cameron Norrie took a worrying dip in form, dropping from a career-high eight in the world to 81.

Katie Boulter and Emma Raducanu, both of whom rank in or near the top 40 in terms of female grass, will pose a significant threat to anyone in the grass in the upcoming weeks.

They all admired Murray and were inspired by his accomplishments and work ethic.

Scotland now has a reliable international player. But what about the “bricks and mortar” Murray legacy? That’s where?

Even though the burn has been slow, some encouraging signs are finally emerging.

Tennis Scotland and its various partners have been utterly incapable of fulfilling their promise to double the number of indoor courts in Scotland from 112 to 225 in a decade, which was overly ambitious.

A global pandemic, rising costs, and declining local authority spending on non-essential services were all but unreliable.

However, new courts are either open, opening, or just beginning. In the last nine years, there have been 34 covered courts. By October, there will be 151 more in use, bringing the total to 151.

In the most recent annual report of Tennis Scotland, Graham Watson, the chairman, expressed a lot of optimism.

At the end of 2023, the six-court Oriam Indoor Tennis Center opened, and a four-court Moray Sports Centre complex was finished. In the coming months, a second facility will open in Dumfries & Galloway.

Will facilities be used now that they are being constructed, despite the painfully slow trickle? On the back of Murray and his brother Jamie’s numerous successes as doubles specialists, are more people in Scotland playing tennis?

Yes, according to Tennis Scotland’s CEO, Blane Dodds. He mentions a “record high club membership of 81, 428” and “an unprecedented period of growth” in the game north of the border.

In 2024, “Playing tennis increased by almost 11%,” he said, implying that more people are playing it more frequently and that they are also.

We are seeing growth in both adults and children, particularly among women and girls, with a 27% increase in participation.

There is now evidence to support claims of progress, especially with Fearnley and Norrie flying the Scottish flag at the top end of the game and Maia and Ewen Lumsden, Hamish Stewart, and Aidan McHugh trying to follow in their footsteps.

Of course, there is still a lot of work to be done.

Given the climate, it is crucial to have access to indoor courts that are readily accessible and reasonably priced throughout Scotland. However, their cost must be justified in the face of financial balance struggles between councils up and down the country.

It should come as no surprise that Tennis Scotland and the Lawn Tennis Association under-delivered because they overpromised. In the beginning, they were far too ambitious.

To fulfill their 2016 pledge, they would need to construct 74 new courts by the end of the year. They won’t, Simply put, it’s impossible.

A core group of young British players who are at or near the top of the game is what they do have to offer for the money. That is in addition to the development of additional locations in Scotland where people can play if they want to become the next Fearnley.

He is doing his part, and then some. In the last 12 months, the world rankings have increased by 470 places and are still rising.