Make the British wildcard flops pay their own way - it did me no harm

Andy Murray has again been left to fly the flag on his own following his win over Ernests Gulbis on Centre Court last night and, as the world No3 has already said, that is just not acceptable.

If the Lawn Tennis Association really want to shake up British tennis, then all players aged over 21 should have their funding cut immediately.

The same faces seem to have been turning up every year and their failures this week are nothing new. Only two of the nine wildcard recipients were teenagers - Laura Robson and Dan Evans - so it would appear to me that the LTA have been investing in the wrong players.

The current crop are getting too much support and are being spoilt because they have a safety net. By receiving money from the LTA to fund their coaching and travelling, there is less of a necessity to earn any prize money to make a living.

The situation for me when I was a teenager in Germany was very different to the young Britons over here.

The German Federation gave me Niki Pilic as a coach and he improved my ranking from just below 600 to 120 as I turned 20 years old.

At that point, I felt I needed their support even more to help me kick on to the top 50 - their response was to cut my funding.

It taught me a harsh lesson in the realities of the ATP Tour but not once did I think it would be too hard - as in life, you grow as a person when you have to fend for yourself and this is what the young Brits need to realise.

Most players are scrapping for their lives on the Tour, yet the LTA have made it too easy for their players to just turn up and collect their £10,750 prize money for losing in the first round at Wimbledon.

British No2 Alex Bogdanovic has been singled out for more criticism than most because he has lost eight times in a row at the All England Club after being granted wildcards year after year.

It is hard to put all the blame on him, though, because who in their right mind is going to turn down the offer of money?

The problems in British tennis lie as much with the system as with the individual.

The young Brits have to realise it is their career and they owe it to themselves - not to the LTA or anyone else - to become the best players they can.

And by the age of 21, the governing body should be able to tell whether or not a youngster has the desire to break into the upper echelons of the game.

Another option would be to use the funding as a loan. The LTA could tell their young talent they pay back the loan from prize money - that would certainly make them hungrier.

The German Federation don't have much money yet we have nine players in the top 100.

We don't have a genuine Grand Slam hope like Andy Murray but I wouldn't trade them all in for just one player in the top 10, like you have here, because there must be strength in depth.

Sadly, this is not just a British problem as America, Australia and Sweden are among a number of countries bereft of potential stars.

You cannot create a Grand Slam champion - it is not possible. You have to learn how to win at a high level over months and years of competition.

Murray is doing that now and the rest must follow without the help of wildcards because they do not bring you success.

* Michael Stich is an expert pundit for BBC Radio 5Live and will be part of their daily Wimbledon coverage on digital radio or 909/693am