No Brits left in US Open singles - but are there reasons to be positive?

For the fourth time in five majors, there will be no British interest in the second week when the US Open moves into the latter stages.

Underwhelming performances at this year's Australian Open,French Open and Wimbledon led to a series of inquests into what was going wrong.

But there is not quite the same sense of doom and gloom, despite everyone being wiped out after the second round in New York.

"Do I think there could be an inquest? I always think there's things that British tennis could do better. So yes, definitely," said British women's number three Francesca Jones.

"Do I think it's something that's concerning? No, not at all.

"The level is getting better and everyone is dangerous on their day."

With the Grand Slam season now over for the singles players, BBC Sport analyses the positives and negatives in British tennis.

Arthur Fery's extraordinary run to the Wimbledon semi-finals is the clear highlight.

The 24-year-old was ranked 114th in the world and needed a wildcard to play at the All England Club, but took full advantage to produce a performance which nobody could have predicted.

Fery was the only player to reach the second week at a Slam this year and has been heralded by British tennis bosses as proof their talent development pathway is working.

Nine Britons competing in the US Open main-draw singles - the most since 1981- is also highlighted as a sign of recent improvement.

That figure does not include 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper, who both missed out with long-term injuries.

"We obviously want more and more competitors in the second week of Slams - just like the British public," said LTA chief executive Scott Lloyd.

"But the fact we've had four different British players make Grand Slam semi-finals since 2021 - you have to go back 30 years before Andy Murray to have four - shows there is no question that the direction of travel has improved.

"We've just got to keep driving for more - and that's what we're trying to do day in and day out."

Five British men are set to feature in the world top 100 after the US Open, with Fery, Cameron Norrie, Jan Choinski, Toby Samuel and Jacob Fearnley representing the highest tally since February 2024.

On the women's side, there will be two players - Katie Boulter and Raducanu - in the top 100, although Jones and Harriet Dart moved back to the cusp after reaching the Flushing Meadows second round.

"We've sent 12 players to the world's top 100 over the past eight years and four of those have played Grand Slam semi-finals," said LTA performance director Michael Bourne.

"I'm not sure what other period in the modern era where we've had that level of productivity. Hopefully the number in the top 100 will rise over the next year."

Despite those figures, some will argue that Britain - with its rich tradition and spending power as a Grand Slam nation - is still punching well below its weight.

A glut of injuries for many British players over the past year has not helped the cause.

Former world number four Draper has barely played over the past year because of an arm injury, while Sonay Kartal - who cracked the top 50 last year - has also dropped outside of the top 100 following a long-term back issue.

Britain has fewer players inside the top 100 than the United States, Australia and France, who also benefit from the revenue generated by hosting Grand Slam tournaments.

It also trails nations such as Spain, Italy, the Czech Republic and Argentina, who are all heralded for their talent production.

But Britain cannot simply "pick up a plan" of what others are doing as every country has its own "tennis ecosystem", says Bourne.

Lloyd adds: "We're competing in one of the most internationally elite sports out there and the landscape is vastly different to 40 or 50 years ago in terms of the number of countries which have representation at the top.

"We're ambitious, we want to drive for more, but we honestly believe the indicators are positive. We're moving in the right direction and stronger than where we have been historically."

Encouraging more British children to pick up a racquet from an early age is crucial to developing the next generation of stars.

Draper, Raducanu and Fery - who entered the LTA system at a young age - provide the blueprint.

There are 4.3m juniors playing tennis annually with 1.9m playing every month, which Lloyd says are both all-time records.

But there is a concern that a lack of high-level coaching is stunting the development of many more promising talents.

Bourne admits the UK needs a "higher base" of coaches, adding that one of the LTA's key strategies is "spending time and effort" on developing them.

Chris Marshall, a senior performance coach with over 25 years' experience, fears many youngsters are being priced out of tennis because parents cannot afford quality coaching.

"To fund a 12-year-old at county level right now requires anywhere from £500 to £1,000 a month for coaching, travel, and tournament fees," Marshall, who founded the Young Champs programme to provide free and discounted coaching for children, told BBC Sport.

"It is a massive, stressful financial barrier that makes the sport a non-starter for the vast majority of British families.

"We can't sit around lamenting the lack of British interest in the second week when we are restricting the pipeline that feeds it."