Judy Murray calls for Great Britain's next Fed Cup tie to be available on free-to-air TV

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After Great Britain’s women secured a dramatic return to the World Group on Sunday, the former Fed Cup captain Judy Murray has called for the next set of ties to be screened on free-to-air television.

What an Easter weekend it was for Anne Keothavong’s team, as Jo Konta and Katie Boulter overcame their Kazakh opponents in north-east London with a memorable set of performances, full of heart and hustle.

There was only one downside. For all the professionalism of BT Sport’s coverage, the channel is still thought to have fewer than 2million customers. And only a small fraction of them tune in to the tennis broadcasts, whose numbers often struggle to reach six figures. Compare that to the peak audience of 5m who watched Andy Murray and his team-mates lift the Davis Cup in 2015 on live BBC TV.

Clearly, Konta and Boulter have some way to go before they compete in a Fed Cup final. But no-one who watched the weekend’s matches – nor the previous qualifying zonals at Bath University in February, which were also screened by BT Sport – could deny that they made for riveting drama.

As Judy Murray told the Telegraph yesterday, “Team tennis is such a wonderful way to engage fans and showcase our sport and our players. Let’s hope that the World Group Fed Cup ties are on free-to-view television so that many more people can see the girls in action and be inspired by their fighting performances.”

The BBC’s reluctance to get involved in Fed Cup TV broadcasts is particularly strange because they have championed other women’s sporting events such as the Six Nations and the footballing Super League. Konta is one of Britain’s leading sportswomen on the international stage, up there with the likes of Dina Asher-Smith, and her exploits – which now extend to 11 straight singles victories in the Fed Cup – deserve the best possible projection.

The BBC has previously cited a lack of budget, yet these are not expensive events to cover. The Telegraph understands that production costs and rights fees for the weekend’s action at the Copper Box fell comfortably short of £50,000, which would barely scratch the surface of the ongoing Wimbledon deal. It’s also worth noting that the Fed Cup’s very inclusiveness, plus the vibrant atmosphere produced by travelling bands and spectator chants, would help to counteract the elitist image of British tennis.

Thanks to the International Tennis Federation’s uncertain guidance, no-one yet knows what the Fed Cup’s format will be in 2020. There is talk of one week-long finals event – possibly held in Budapest at the end of the season – for the leading 12 teams in the world. But whatever the next test for Keothavong’s women happens to be, it should be available to a wider audience.