BRITISH BATTLER BELIEVES BLACK TENNIS PLAYERS STILL 'FACE BARRIER'

Jay Clarke at the 2025 Birmingham Open. (Getty/Cameron Smith)

More work can be implemented to help black tennis players pursue the sport as a career, according to Wimbledon wildcard recipient Jay Clarke.

The 26-year-old competes as a player of colour, with British compatriots such as Heather Watson and Paul Jubb also owning mixed heritages.

"It is nice to see more black players breaking through, and hopefully we can inspire more kids to pick up a racquet," said Clarke via the BBC, who achieved a career-high No.153 in July 2019.

"I think there is still a barrier, and the sport is not amazingly accessible for black players."

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In May, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) revealed that they will "not be satisfied until the diversity of everyone involved in tennis reflects the diversity of the communities in the country", after unveiling its 'Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) plan', which "focuses on making tennis more inclusive and accessible to people from all backgrounds".

"The LTA have done good things to resurface park courts and give people opportunities," Clarke continued.

"The most important thing is seeing people like yourself playing and doing well on the big stages. Representation is important."

The upcoming Wimbledon campaign marks half a century since Arthur Ashe won the title at the All England Club, and to this day, he remains the only black man to do so.

Ashe, who passed away in 1993, paved the way for future generations, including Clarke and his father.

"Having a black man win Wimbledon was amazing for my dad to see, and that was passed on to me," he explained.

"I watched highlights of him when I was younger, and my dad used to get me to play differently — that's how I learned to play the sport."

An all-British battle between Clarke and former world No.21 Dan Evans will be one of the headlines for locals in the opening round at Wimbledon, with the winner likely to meet seven-time champion Novak Djokovic in round two.

However, Clarke was only handed a wildcard into the main draw after contacting the All England Club to apologise following his inclusion as a plaintiff in the lawsuit filed by the Professional Tennis Players' Association (PTPA) in March, co-founded by Djokovic, which took aim at the major tennis governing bodies, describing their operations as a "cartel".

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