Great Britain’s new national tournament is brilliant for tennis – Here’s why

Great Britain’s new national tournament, ‘Schroders Battle of the Brits’, is next up in the return to tennis – Here’s why it is brilliant for the sport.

‘Schroders Battle of the Brits’ is Great Britain’s new national event that has been co-organized by British doubles player Jamie Murray and the LTA. It is the first of its kind since the last British National Championships was played in 2002. If the event brings in positive reviews from the players, it could initiate similar tournaments to be integrated into the tennis season for years to come.

It comes soon after the announcement of the Adria Tour, the European exhibition swing that features the likes of Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem.

Domestic tournaments that are headlined by the very best players are unheard of, especially at this time. These players are often traveling the world in a bid to play the higher paid tournaments and against better competition. In addition, it’s unlikely for many international events to be scheduled at all with the growing global situation at hand.

However, if they were to come together to play against each other, then certainly in Britain’s case they would be competing against some of the best in the world. Andy Murray, ATP #44 Kyle Edmund, and ATP #28 Dan Evans have all agreed to play the ‘Battle of the Brits’ in June. There are definitely benefits for players to have such tough competition on home soil and for the fans to watch their own players live when life returns to normal.

Usually, the domestic events bring in the lower-ranked national players. For these players, staying close to home to compete allows them to gain match experience while saving money that would have otherwise been spent on travel expenses.

A British National Championship for the highest-ranked professionals did once exist. As Russell Fuller explains in a recent BBC Sport article, the event ended due to a lack of interest.

A downside to a re-introduction to this type of event is that it would not be part of the ATP and WTA tours. As solely a domestic tournament, world ranking points would not be up for grabs. It would be a week away from valuable time on the tour.

An obvious time for the staging of an annual event would be just prior to the beginning of the ATP and WTA seasons. This is a time when players are in desperate need of match fitness ahead of a brutal Australian summer swing of tennis. The timing would also prevent players from losing precious time on the tour.

Indeed in the current climate, the ‘Battle of the Brits’ is a perfect way for Andy Murray to assess his physical fitness, after having recently struggled with a pelvic injury.

"As brother Jamie says in an interview with BBC Sport, “I think for him this event is a great opportunity to put his hip through its paces and see where he’s at, and give him a good idea of where he’s going to be at when the season starts up again.”"

After all, every tennis fan wants to see Murray raring to go again when the ATP tour makes its return.

With the coronavirus being an incentive for this type of tournament to return, there is hope for a re-kindling of its kind on a more frequent basis.

National tournaments certainly have a place in professional tennis. That is why the ‘Battle of the Brits’, from June 23-28, is undoubtedly the perfect first step to get them back.