ELENA BALTACHA has a reputation as a gutsy competitor. She is the fighter who has had to come back from the brink so often when injuries sidelined her in the past and personal problems almost prompted her to quit the sport last year but she says the biggest battle in British tennis is changing the public's perceptions.
Every Wimbledon provokes a gnashing and wailing as British players drop like flies. No matter they are wildcard entries playing higher ranked individuals, the public expects and when the heroics don't materialise on demand, the post mortems begin.
"The honest truth is that we laugh (at the newspaper stories etc]. We know what to expect. I have played Wimbledon for so many years and I know what to expect. Everyone wants you to win or do something miraculous otherwise you are a complete and utter failure. And it's so sad because a lot of those people don't follow tennis all through the year, it's only that two weeks at Wimbledon and it's a shame because if they actually did follow us they would see how much better we are doing, especially in the women's game. What we have achieved and we are performing on a consistent basis and a lot of us are fighting for that top 100 spot. But, to be honest with you, we don't read what is being said because we know what is going to be said and we also know that, when Wimbledon is done, we will move on to the next tournament and that will be it. For girls who are in their first Wimbledon or second Wimbledon it's a bit of a shock. But it either makes you or breaks you."
She admits it has annoyed her on occasion but not this year. She knows it is simply a matter of perceptions and she has grown up in a sport dogged by them in Britain. Which is why she is keen to see the grassroots addressed and a more inclusive approach taken to attracting youngsters.
The news that Judy Murray has quit her role as the LTA performance manager for Scotland to set up her own community club academy near Stirling similar to Justine Henin's club in Brussels for youngsters has been welcomed by Baltacha who says that more has to be done to make the sport accessible.
"I think it would be fantastic because we need more kids playing and tennis is such an expensive sport. A lot of parents can't spend the money you need to play tennis. Especially when you've got football, athletics and swimming which are less expensive. But Judy's got such a big name and I think setting up an academy in Scotland would definitely encourage more kids to take up tennis.
"The facilities at Roehampton are unbelievable and if you want to be an elite athlete in your field, it helps if you have the very best facilities at your disposal."
She is also a supporter of the approach advocated by Richard Williams, father of Venus and Serena. He believes the best way to bolster British tennis is to "get into the ghettos" to source the best raw talent.
"In Scottish terms, that means going into the housing schemes and I think he's right," said Baltacha, who is currently the British No.2, but, having overcome personal problems and subsequent loss of appetite for the sport last year, is now battling to regain her status as No.1. "The LTA are trying to get into the grassroots of the game and setting up initiatives to try and do that. But they need to do more. That's where you're going to find the talent. How do you spot a good player if their mum and dad can't afford to allow the kid to play?
"Myself, Andy and Jamie (Murray] have been lucky enough to be in a sporting family and that's helped us. But what about the kids who aren't? The problem is the way tennis is portrayed, the image and perception of it. It's all about people who have money and we need to change that.
"Even Wimbledon itself has that image and it's all the people see. The sport is really only on TV for two weeks of the year and this is what people see as 'tennis'."
Up against the likes of football, which she says is always on television and open to all levels, she says the image of straw Panama hats and Pimms does little to entice working-class people into tennis.
"It's a shame that that's the image people have of it because it's such a great sport. But there's just not enough kids playing it and I've heard recently certain schools in Scotland have stopped doing it in PE or are cutting the amount of time allocated to that subject. That doesn't help, does it? It's just such a shame but there's a snobbery attached to tennis and I'm not sure we go about totally changing that when all people see is the two weeks of Wimbledon.
"What we want is people viewing tennis with the opinion that anyone can get into it. It has to be more accessible. I've heard about some clubs in Scotland who only let children play before 6pm before letting their adult members on. What's that all about? If you've got kids who want to be there and want to play they should be getting free courts, rackets and balls."
And pinpointing kids with something to strive for may actually reap greater rewards than at present. She admits that, while middle-class kids have a strong desire to win, the incentives are not exactly the same.
"Life in the UK is great but when we get to 15 or 16 you've got so many options available to you. You can even go to university in America or you can go to Europe if you like. But some of the eastern European players, they don't have that as they grow up. They have to succeed at their sport or they won't earn any money.
"It's may be that kind of hunger we lack. I'm not saying we're not hungry for success but we don't have the same desperate need."
For a fortnight every year the country certainly has a desperate need for winners but it's only what they do in the other 50 weeks that will help deliver them in bulk. Unfortunately, certain assumptions about British tennis seem as traditional as the ivy, the hanging baskets and strawberries and cream. For Baltacha those ideas can't be dispelled quickly enough.
