Yet at least for another few weeks inspired children everywhere will be outdoors knocking balls – and the harling – off the walls of their homes – while they attempt to get a spin like Nadal or manage to hit more than fresh air when serving.

Tennis, of some sort, is a ritual of children's summer holidays. Wimbledon is on TV and they're out trying to emulate the latest star. In my day it was Chris Evert and Bjorn Borg, and such was my enthusiasm to give tennis a go my parents would take me to the red asphalt courts in Dalkeith to have a knock-about.

Not that it lasted too long. The weather generally put paid to any fantasies I had about playing at SW19. But without a doubt Wimbledon has the capacity to get children motivated. So why is it that we don't have any champions?

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) chief executive Roger Draper has admitted that British tennis is not likely to have five players in the top 100 until 2010 – but then two years ago the LTA president Stuart Smith said Britain should have five top 100 players by the end of 2008. The targets are continually being reviewed – and reviewed downwards.

Could it be that we just don't take tennis seriously enough? Is it that we just think of tennis as a nice game to while away a few hours in the summer, but not one which we really feel competitive about as a nation? We may get behind the Henmans and Murrays of the world when they're out on Centre Court, but what about before they get there and then afterwards?

Of course the once-a-year spurt of interest could stem from the fact that the other big grand slam tournaments are relegated to poor viewing slots on the television. They come way down the list of sporting events, with even golf having more clout on the schedules. More tennis on TV could be one way of keep the interest going.

Draper himself, though, believes poor results are down to competition – or the lack of. While there are four million people playing tennis in the UK, the games are just not competitive enough. "If you're not competing at eight, nine or ten you don't learn to win," he says.

Given that there's a general lack of competition in the way children are schooled these days, it's hardly surprising we are not breeding winners. School sports days seem to be more about ensuring everyone has some fun, which is all very laudable, but without the desire to come first, what's the point?

Edinburgh City Council's take on sport is that it's something that all children can participate in whatever their ability. So far so good. But then the idea is that "they compete against themselves rather than each other", so there are no winners and, more importantly, no losers.

With tennis – as with any sport where it's one-on-one combat – that is never going to work. Competition is a dirty word. The modern way is to teach children "life skills" through sport. Yet according to a report by The International Foundation for Sports Medicine, exposure to competition gives youngsters an extra edge: "Children have a natural need to measure their strength, skill and endurance against each other. Competitive sport contributes to the physical, emotional and intellectual development of children and adolescents."

Lack of facilities for once is not an issue with tennis. Edinburgh is not short on private tennis clubs – places like the David Lloyd centre are overwhelmed with the city's monied citizens taking out their credit crunch frustrations on small, fluffy, yellow balls – and it is reasonably served by public facilities, although there's always room for improvement.

There's a campaign underway to ensure courts at Meadowbank are reinstated when the new stadium is built, as there are none at all on the east side of the city. But in the meantime there's always the Meadows, Inverleith, St Margaret's Park in Corstorphine, and the Craiglockhart Tennis Centre. (Not that it's always easy to get on a court, especially when they are unstaffed and people take advantage and play for hours).

Of course there are those who don't believe sports facilities should even be part of a local authority's remit, the "why should I be paying for someone's hobby?" brigade. But without letting children have a chance to find out if they could be good at sports such as tennis, then future generations of potential stars are lost.

Edinburgh Leisure does its bit, taking tennis into schools and even nurseries and giving taster sessions, but for Britain to breed proper sporting stars of the future, then competition needs to be back on the school curriculum.

It's the only way that in sport, especially tennis, we won't always be on the losing side.

Young gun go for it
THE mist begins to clear. Councillor Ian Murray, the young gun whom some, including me, believe should have stood against Andrew Burns in the Labour leadership contest at the City Chambers (coronations are just bad news for democracy) has his sights set on higher office.

For a moment I thought he had decided to learn his political trade before climbing the ladder. But rather than get bogged down with debating the benefit of trams ad infinitum it seems he wants to join the race to succeed Gavin Strang as MP for Edinburgh East.

Bit of a problem, though, if the Labour Party decides on an all-woman shortlist.