World No. 48 Johanna Konta says there aren’t enough young British players hitting at the Lawn Tennis Association’s National Tennis Centre in Roehampton.
The 24-year-old Konta was training in northern Spain, but now trains in Great Britain. Andy Murray and James Ward have also criticized the LTA for not getting the most out of its multi-million dollar facility.
"Recently I've seen a lot of young kids around," said Konta to BBC. “But there are times when I think it is too quiet for such a magnificent facility, and it would be nice to see these courts filled with more players."
The 158th-ranked Ward says that the LTA must reduce the costs of tennis to encourage more play.
“The main thing is making it more accessible to the working class people,” Ward told Sky. "It's too expensive at the moment, especially in London, to rent a court, and add a lesson with a coach and it becomes ridiculous and people can't afford it. So then how are you going to grow the sport and get people to play if you can go down to the park and play football with your mates for free? It's definitely an easy decision when you put it like that."