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The party hangover has long been put to bed but the effects of the golden weekend on British tennis are still being felt today.
Murray won another five tour titles that year, including the ATP Finals that secured his world number one spot and set a new standard for the next generation.
While no one has come close to matching that, there have been other successes over the past decade, including Emma Raducanu, Britain’s 44-year wait for a women’s Grand Slam title, her victory at the 2021 US Open and a deep consolidation in British tennis, particularly in the men’s game.
In the year In 2016, there were three men in the top 200 in the world singles rankings, which has now increased to eight.
There was also a big change in doubles – in the 10 years before 2016, two Grand Slam doubles titles were awarded in Britain, and after a decade there were 20. Watson’s title was one of three won by Britons that year, with Murray’s brother Jamie winning the other two and ending the year as doubles world number one.
Former British number one Kyle Edmund said: “Even though it’s an individual sport, there’s no doubt that having someone who’s big helps and just shows what’s possible.”
The impact of that great British Wimbledon success is also being felt in wheelchair tennis, where the Court 17 final in front of hundreds of fans has grown to a Court One display in front of thousands.
The ‘Murray effect’ has been widely seen as contributing to increased participation at the grassroots level, with the LTA reporting a peak of 5.8 million adult annual participation and four million children playing tennis last year.
Britain’s tennis governing body has stepped up investment over the past decade, including injecting £250m into refurbishing public courts, increasing the number of covered and flooded courts and online registration.
And even though Murray has been retired for a couple of years, either as a regular coach at Jack Draper or informally mentoring up-and-coming players, his influence is still felt on the court.
British number eight Jack Pinnington-Jones said: “I feel like I can get to him. I played nine holes of golf with him in December and started chatting and asking him questions.”
Twenty-one English players have played in the main singles at Wimbledon this year, including their first qualifier since 1999, and it remains to be seen what that will bring.
But 2016? Well, in Hewett’s words: “Wow, what a year.”
Additional reporting by Kate McKenna and Jonathan Jurijko
