It would be safe to say that Merseyside has given the world a lot. From the Beatles to Steven Gerrard’s thunderous volleys, the people of this county have, at some stage or other, taken people’s breath away owing to the rich gifts they possess. There is one field, however, where there has been a peculiar lack of representation, and that is professional tennis.
MIA: Merseyside talent in tennis rankings
A look at the latest tennis betting odds for Wimbledon 2023 will back this up with no competitors from the county set to play in this summer’s event. Rather, you’ll find two Brits, Cameron Norrie at 40/1 and Andy Murray at 50/1, on the list of potential winners at the All England Club in July. They respectively hail from South Africa and Scotland!
An early contender for match of the year 🙌 #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/JgJR4jdmsp
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) January 17, 2023
Furthermore, there is very little sign of this changing with no emerging players from Merseyside about to step onto the ATP or WTA Tour anytime soon. So, what history does the county have when it comes to tennis?
Not much of a history to speak about
In many respects, a lack of representation at the top has been the trend over a long period of time. You will, though, get the odd person who disputes the fact that Merseyside doesn’t have much of a tennis history to speak of courtesy of the fact some believe that the great Fred Perry was from the county. The truth is that the eight-time Grand Slam champion was born in Stockport and only spent a fraction of his early life in Wallasey. In other words, claiming the man who won a hat-trick at Wimbledon Championships between 1934 and 1936 as an ambassador for tennis in Merseyside is a bit of a stretch and not strictly accurate.
Liverpool’s Marray and an unlikely run at Wimbledon in 2012
With that being said, the county can proudly claim Liverpool-born Jonathan Marray as their own who went on to win the 2012 men’s doubles tournament at Wimbledon while partnered with Denmark’s Frederik Nielsen. This was undoubtedly the biggest success that has come out of the county in terms of tennis silverware and what makes it all the more remarkable is that the pair entered the 2012 Wimbledon Championships as wild cards, before going all the way to claim the title. Sadly though, Marray’s effort didn’t inspire a revolution at a grassroots level and has been largely forgotten.
Cowan brings the UK to a standstill
Of course, no retrospective piece on tennis in Merseyside is ever complete without mentioning Southport’s very own Barry Cowan and his courageous performance at Wimbledon in 2001. Ranked no 265 in the world, Cowan was able to take his game against reigning champion Pete Sampras to five sets before the American finally won an epic encounter that had the United Kingdom and millions around the world glued to their TVs.
Biggest *almost upset in @wimbledon history? 🤔#OnThisDay in 2001, wild card Barry Cowan forced Wimbledon legend Pete Sampras all the way in an epic 5️⃣ set match, that finished 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(5) 4-6, 6-3 pic.twitter.com/2oY5dctcCz
— LTA (@the_LTA) June 27, 2020
As inspiring and hair-raising as Cowan’s performance was, the fact remains that these moments have been few and far between for tennis players from Merseyside.
Ultimately, the wait will go on for someone from this famous county that has produced some of the world’s most talented people, to eventually lift the most coveted prizes in tennis. It will surely happen at some stage.
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