The year in numbers – 2020 British tennis season
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To say this year has been a rollercoaster, would be an understatement. The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the lives of almost every person across the world and sport has been no exception.
We’ve experienced a tennis season like no other – with everyone from professional players to local volunteers having to adapt to new ways of playing and engaging with the community. While at times our sport was restricted, there have been many moments to celebrate and British tennis has still managed to have its time in the sun.
As we look back on the year that was, we take a look at some of the numbers that gave us reason to celebrate in 2020.
1 – Mutua Madrid Virtual Pro Champion – during lockdown Andy Murray proved once and for all that when it comes to video games, he’s the king of the tour. In the all virtual event Murray picked off opponents left right and centre including none other than Rafael Nadal.
2 – Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram’s world ranking as a pair at the end of 2020. After winning the Australian Open men’s doubles title in January, Salisbury and Ram went on to have a brilliant season and go into 2021 as one of the superpower pairings.
3 – Battle of the Brits events (round of applause for tournament director, Jamie Murray). Whether you were a Bulldog or Union Jack, these events will go down in history.
4 – the number of career WTA titles won by Heather Watson to date after she lifted the trophy in Acapulco earlier this year.
5 – the number of years since Great Britain made tennis history by lifting the Davis Cup. You can watch our full documentary below.
8 – British Grand Slam titles – Joe Salisbury, Alfie Hewett, Gordon Reid, Andy Lapthorne and Jordanne Whiley all came up trumps this year winning titles across all three Grand Slam events.
8 – the number of wins Dan Evans notched up against ATP top-20 opponents this season. Evans ranked third best in this stat across the tour, only behind Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem.
17 – Emma Raducanu’s age when she made her Billie Jean King Cup debut in February as Great Britain faced Slovakia. The young Brit has truly established herself as one of the brightest young talents in the game.
18 – LTA Awards given out to outstanding individuals and venues this year for the incredible work they’ve done for their community this year. Tennis wouldn’t be the sport it is in Britain without the hard work and dedication of the people who make it.
28 – Dan Evans’ career high ranking, which he achieved in March 2020 – the British No.1 has produced the tennis of his life this year as he continues to fight his way to the top.
85 – years since Fred Perry completed his famous career Grand Slam at the young age of 26 (yes you did read that correctly).
239 – the duration of Cameron Norrie’s epic five-set comeback against Diego Schwartzman at the US Open in minutes. Norrie caught the eye of tennis fans over the world as he produced one of the performances of the year against the number nine seed.
372 – the percentage increase in tennis participation between May and July from 2019-2020. It’s fair to say that when the restrictions lifted, Great Britain experienced pure tennis mania as anyone and everyone took to the court to Play Your Way.
5,000 – the number of tennis rackets donated by the LTA to charity partner Street Games. Thousands of kids were given the opportunity to get involved with Tennis at Home and take their first steps into the sport.
70,000 – tennis balls donated by the All England Tennis Club and the LTA to grassroots coaches and venues to continue their amazing work in growing tennis in Britain.
