Government maintains LTA funding

Draper has been in charge of British tennis since February 2006

Public funding for the Lawn Tennis Association will not be cut, sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe has pledged.

An All-Party Tennis Group report this week criticised the governing body for not achieving better results.

The Parliamentary group's review followed Great Britain's embarrassing Davis Cup loss to Lithuania last month.

But Sutcliffe confirmed that a £26m investment in the sport will continue, adding: "There is great potential for tennis to grow."

Sport England is distributing £26m of Lottery and Exchequer funding to the LTA between 2009 and 2013 and Sutcliffe has backed the injection of funds to increase participation.

"I asked the All Party Group to work with the LTA to help improve the game at all levels and help address some of the current challenges that face the sport," he said.

"I thank the group for its report. I believe that there is great potential for tennis to grow in this country and for new people to be brought into the sport.

"Over £26million of public money is being invested into the sport's grassroots and we want to see a good return from that funding.

JONATHAN OVEREND BLOG There are many deep-rooted causes for British tennis failings and these need to be properly identified by those with the power to change them

"But I have confidence in Sport England holding the LTA to account on this, as they do with all other sports that receive public funding."

The government's commitment will come as a relief to the LTA, whose £60m annual expenditure has been questioned following the humiliating Davis Cup loss to Lithuania which put Britain within one defeat of the lowest tier of the competition.

The defeat, the team's fifth straight reverse, resulted in the end of John Lloyd's stint as GB captain and prompted an internal review of British men's tennis.

It also heralded a debate about LTA boss Roger Draper's four-year tenure and thrust additional attention on the findings of the All-Party Tennis Group, chaired by Baroness Angela Billingham.

In a letter outlining the review's findings, Billingham said "esteem for the LTA seems to be at an all-time low".

She added: "The LTA is attempting a host of initiatives which have complex social dimensions.

"But given the remarkable level of expenditure, in excess of £60m annually, it should be possible to deliver better outcomes than at present."

606: DEBATE Your views on LTA's funding

Sutcliffe, though, was keen to stress some of the LTA's successes.

"The Whole Sport Plan strategy has been going under a year and in that time participation in tennis has increased and the sport is growing in schools," he stated.

"But there is more that can still be done. Everyone who contributed to the report wants the same for tennis in this country - a strong sport at all levels, from the grassroots to the elite. And by working together in a collaborative and open approach I believe that can be achieved."

British tennis, meanwhile, will continue to attempt to rebuild its reputation when the men's team bid to avoid Davis Cup relegation in a play-off against Turkey in July.

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