Like a generation of British players, the professional tennis business has long had to endure criticism that it ought to be doing better. In 2004, a report by McKinsey, the management consultancy, blamed fragmentation for “the current inability of tennis to fully translate its popularity into cash”.

The report – Playing to win in the business of sports – went on: “Each of the Grand Slam tournaments, which capture the lion’s share of the sport’s earnings, is owned and run separately. Furthermore, the sport has a number of governing bodies. The International Tennis Federation handles Olympic tennis events, the Davis Cup (men) and the Fed Cup (women). The Association of Tennis Professionals runs the men’s circuit, and the Women’s Tennis Association runs the women’s. The result is a year-round tennis calendar that lacks a clear start or climax and is packed with tournaments going on simultaneously throughout the world.”