Four men, four women: Britain has eight players in the top 100 for the first time since 1978

Four British men and four British women are inside the world top 100 in the same week, something that, according to the LTA, had not happened since 1978.

British tennis has spent a long time being described by its absences: no Grand Slam champion since Emma Raducanu in 2021, no men's champion at Wimbledon since Andy Murray in 2016, and a recurring complaint that the money spent has not produced enough depth. This week the picture is different.

The men are Arthur Fery (32), Cameron Norrie (45), Jacob Fearnley (90) and Toby Samuel (97). The women are Katie Boulter (49), Sonay Kartal (52), Harriet Dart (84) and Francesca Jones (98). Jan Choinski, at 113, is the next man, and Emma Raducanu is 106th.

The surprise is who leads the list. Fery was 154th when the grass season began. A few weeks later he was a Wimbledon semifinalist, the first wild card in a men's Slam semifinal since Goran Ivanisevic in 2001, after beating Dimitrov and ninth seed Flavio Cobolli 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-0 in the quarterfinals. Alexander Zverev ended the run, but the ranking jump stayed.

It is also a list that does not need its biggest names. Jack Draper ended his season early through injury, and Raducanu has not played since the Queen's Club final in June.

Fery is the headline. Before Wimbledon, he had already reached his first ATP quarter-final at Queen's as a wild card, losing to eventual champion Francisco Cerundolo. At the All England Club, he came back from 4-1 down in both the fourth and fifth sets to defeat Zizou Bergs, before producing the breakthrough performance of his campaign with a 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-0 win over Flavio Cobolli. Alexander Zverev beat him 7-6(0), 6-2, 6-4 in the semi-finals, but Fery had already made a significant leap, climbing from No. 154 at the start of the grass-court swing to No. 32.

British tennis had spent much of the past year lamenting Jack Draper's absence through injury, and Fery emerged at the perfect moment to make a name for himself. Reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals as the first British man to do so since Andy Murray was a major achievement, but he quickly showed that his run at SW19 was no one-off. Weeks later, he reached the final of the Winston-Salem Open, further establishing himself as one of the players to watch.

On the women's side, the absence of Emma Raducanu has also been felt in recent months. After reaching the final of the Queen's Club Championships, it appeared that Raducanu had finally rediscovered her level and was ready to challenge for a place among the WTA Tour's leading players. However, injuries struck again, sending her ranking outside the Top 100 and interrupting the progress she had been making.

There have nevertheless been positive stories elsewhere in British women's tennis. Katie Boulter claimed the title at the WTA 250 Ostrava Open earlier in the season, securing the fourth singles trophy of her career. More recently, Harriet Dart joined the list of British champions by winning the Guangzhou Open, a result that lifted her to No. 84 in the WTA rankings.

Sonay Kartal also produced an impressive run at the Wuhan Open, reaching her first WTA 1000 final before losing to Poland's Maja Chwalinska. It was her first tournament back after spending time away from competition with an injury, and the performance suggested she is capable of challenging at the highest level.

At just 25, Kartal still has considerable room to progress if she can remain physically fit, potentially making her a player to watch in 2027.

Raducanu's return will also be one to follow next season. Her run to the Queen's final offered encouraging signs before another injury setback forced her off the tour. Having established herself inside the Top 30 before her absence, she will hope to build on that progress when she is ready to compete again.