Wimbledon is, for many, the highlight of a British sporting summer, with those flocking to SW19 – or following elsewhere – desperate to cheer home players to victory.<\/p>\n
But 15 of the 19 Britons have lost already this year – the highest number of first-round exits since 1988 and the highest percentage of defeats since 2013.<\/p>\n
Home hopes were, of course, not helped by Jack Draper<\/a> and Emma Raducanu<\/a> – the pair with the most pedigree – pulling out because of injury.<\/p>\n “There have been some tough draws, but it certainly doesn’t look good,” British stalwart Dan Evans, who was not given a wildcard at the final tournament of his career, told BBC Sport.<\/p>\n “I think the past few days have shown there’s plenty of work to be done in our sport.”<\/p>\n Inquests into the state of British tennis are not uncommon – especially after the clay-court French Open, which precedes Wimbledon.<\/p>\n The entire British contingent were out of Roland Garros by the end of round two – the third Grand Slam in a row at which none reached the second week.<\/p>\n For Britain to avoid a fourth, it requires Katie Swan, Arthur Fery, Jacob Fearnley or Jan Choinski to keep the flag flying at the All England Club.<\/p>\n