How Fearnley can help cement Murray legacy

French Open 2025

Dates: 25 May-8 June Venue: Roland Garros, Paris

Coverage: Live power commentaries crossed 5 Live Sport and BBC Sounds, positive unrecorded matter commentaries connected nan BBC Sport website and app

On nan reddish ungraded of Roland Garros, a young man making his debut astatine nan French Open could soon make a large sound amid nan quiet gyration successful Scottish tennis.

Edinburgh's Jacob Fearnley is 1 triumph distant from breaking into nan world's apical 50. Currently 52nd successful nan unrecorded projected rankings, he faces location favourite Ugo Humbert successful Paris connected Thursday.

If he wins, he will not conscionable scope nan 3rd information successful back-to-back majors, having had a terrific commencement to nan twelvemonth successful Australia.

He will besides return a immense measurement into nan rarefied aerial of nan sport's elite, breathed by only 1 antheral Scottish-born subordinate earlier him.

Questions person been asked astir an Andy Murray legacy. Fearnley is helping present immoderate answers.

Murray first cracked nan apical 50 successful February 2006 and stayed location for 12 years, winning 3 Grand Slams, 2 Olympic golds, and a Davis Cup on nan way.

His portion successful nan 'Big Four' pinch Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic was marked connected nan Philippe Chatrier tribunal this week erstwhile nan set sewage backmost together to honour nan Spaniard's bonzer achievements successful that hallowed arena.

It is astir a decade since Murray became world number one. In nan years since, doubts persisted astir what Scottish tennis was doing to make hay while Dunblane's finest was successful nan sun.

It has taken time, patience, and money. Finally, however, superior advancement is being made and Fearnley is its embodiment.

A twelvemonth ago, he was not moreover successful nan apical 500. He started 2024 classed 646th. It's 1 of nan fastest rises since nan existent strategy came into place.

He has besides made a dent connected immoderate big-name players: Nick Kyrgios connected his location tribunal successful Melbourne; erstwhile French Open champion Stan Wawrinka successful Paris; taking a group disconnected Djokovic connected Centre Court astatine Wimbledon past year.

It is clear Fearnley now feels wholly astatine location connected nan large stage.

"I really enjoyed it," he said of nan consecutive sets triumph complete Wawrinka successful nan first round. "I deliberation portion of nan conflict was conscionable not letting his sanction and his calibre of tennis get into my head. Just attraction connected myself really.

"I deliberation nan much I get exposed to playing these players, successful these environments, nan amended I get handling them. The much you expose yourself to situations, nan little overseas it feels."

Fearnley is nary alien to it now. The 23-year-old is timing his tally to nan apical successful a play of awesome committedness for nan British game.

His puerility friend, Jack Draper, has catapulted himself into nan world apical 5 and is now a superior contender for each tourney he enters.

Fellow Scot Cameron Norrie arrested a worrying dip successful shape - nan South Africa-born 29-year-old dropping from a career-high 8 successful nan world to 81 - pinch a season-changing triumph complete Daniil Medvedev to subordinate Fearnley successful nan 2nd round.

Meanwhile, Katie Boulter and Emma Raducanu are some successful aliases astir nan women's apical 40 and will beryllium large threats to anyone connected nan writer successful nan coming weeks.

They each looked up to Murray and were inspired by his achievements and activity ethic.

None much truthful than Fearnley, who came done nan tennis academy astatine Merchiston Castle schoolhouse earlier honing his skills connected nan American assemblage circuit.

Scotland now has different superior subordinate connected nan world stage. What astir nan "bricks and mortar" Murray legacy, though? Where is that?

It has been a slow burn, but moreover that is yet showing immoderate promising signs.

Hamstrung by an overly-ambitious committedness successful 2016 to double nan number of indoor courts successful Scotland from 112 to 225 wrong a decade, Tennis Scotland and its various partners person been incapable to travel anyplace adjacent to delivering.

A world pandemic, sky-rocketing costs and nan shrinking of section authority spending connected non-essential services hardly helped.

Now, though, caller courts are either open, opening aliases astir to beryllium built. Thirty-four covered courts person been added successful nan past 9 years. Five much will beryllium successful usage by October, taking nan full to 151.

Tennis Scotland president Graham Watson was markedly upbeat successful nan organisation's latest yearly report.

The six-court Oriam Indoor Tennis Centre was opened astatine nan extremity of 2023 and a four-court analyzable has been completed astatine Moray Sports Centre, pinch a further centre opening successful Dumfries & Galloway successful nan coming months.

It is simply a painfully slow trickle, but now that accommodation are being built, will they beryllium used? Are much group successful Scotland playing tennis, connected nan backmost of Murray and doubles-specialist relative Jamie's galore successes?

Yes, according to Blane Dodds, nan Tennis Scotland main executive. He points to what he calls "a play of unprecedented growth" successful nan crippled northbound of nan border, pinch a "record precocious nine rank of 81,428".

"Participation levels accrued by almost 11% successful 2024, which intends that not only are much group playing tennis but they are playing it much regularly," he said.

"We are seeing maturation among adults and children, particularly amongst women and girls, wherever location was a 27% summation successful participation."

With Fearnley and Norrie flying nan Scottish emblem astatine nan apical extremity of nan game, and nan likes of Maia and Ewen Lumsden, Hamish Stewart and Aidan McHugh each trying to travel successful their footsteps, location is constituent now to backmost up claims of progress.

There is still plentifulness of activity to beryllium done, of course.

Available, affordable entree to indoor courts crossed Scotland is basal fixed nan climate. Their cost, however, has to beryllium justified pinch councils up an down nan state scrambling to equilibrium nan books.

Guilty of over-promising, it is nary astonishment that Tennis Scotland and nan Lawn Tennis Association person under-delivered. They were acold excessively eager successful nan first place.

They would person to build 74 caller courts by nan extremity of adjacent twelvemonth to meet their 2016 pledge. They will not. It is simply not possible.

What they do person to show for nan money is simply a halfway group of young British players astatine aliases adjacent nan apical of nan game. That is allied to nan emergence – yet – of caller places for group successful Scotland to play if they want to beryllium nan adjacent Fearnley.

He is doing his spot - and past some. Up 470 places successful nan world rankings successful nan past 12 months and still climbing.

There whitethorn good ne'er beryllium different Andy Murray. His legacy, however, is slow but surely opening to return shape.