The Lawn Tennis Association is calling on the help of the Serbian world No4, Ana Ivanovic, to set a much needed example to young British players. The LTA has done a deal for Ivanovic to train at the £40m National Tennis Centre in Roehampton next month.

Ivanovic, in return, has agreed to practise with lowly ranked British players and offer them an insight into the workload and commitment required to be a world-class player.

She might also give the often pampered locals a perspective on how fortunate they are to come from one of the richest tennis nations in the game and be so generously financed by a governing body which receives around £25m each year via the surplus profits from Wimbledon.

Ivanovic, 20, grew up in post-civil war Belgrade and famously had to learn to play tennis in an empty swimming pool because there were no usable courts around. No wonder she is impressed with Roehampton. "I'm at a stage in my career where I really want to have the very best facilities in the world," she said.

Something tells me there might be some male players there watching to get some tips, no doubt with their tongues hanging out