FORMER British number one Chris Wilkinson believes the LTA are still failing to produce fresh tennis talent.

Reacting to the surprise departure of Frenchman Patrice Hagelauer as LTA performance director on Tuesday, the Fair Oak star said: "I'm quite surprised, although not totally shocked.

"He tried to make some changes, but must have been frustrated at not being able to turn things around more quickly.

"British tennis is in a worse state than when I was playing and the facts back this up.

"When I was playing there were seven or eight of us in the world's top 200, but now it is basically just Tim (Henman) and Greg (Rusedski).

"And if we are realistic about it Tim was produced by a private enterprise, while Greg is Canadian.

"So basically they haven't produced anyone."

Wilkinson reached the last 32 at Wimbledon on four occasions, played the likes of Stefan Edberg on Centre Court and represented Britain in Davis Cup and at the Barcelona Olympics.

He continues to be heavily involved on the local tennis scene, helping Hampshire stay in the elite group at county week this summer and coaching a crop of the area's most promising talents.

He has recently taken over as director of tennis at Lee-on-Solent tennis and squash club and believes the LTA needs an urgent re-think of its strategy for producing world class players.

Wilkinson said: "There are some excellent grass-roots initiatives with mini-tennis and in the inner-cities, but the problem we have is developing promising players into top-class players.

"My own view is that not enough funding is used to help private enterprises and too much attention is put into national academies, which do not necessarily help each individual player."

Hagelauer quit as performance director of the LTA to return to his old job as coach of France's Davis Cup team.

The 54-year-old Frenchman joined the LTA in 1999 and was charged with improving the country's coaching set-up and finding the next generation of tennis stars.

He identified Britain's tennis clubs as the key, but admitted in July 2000 he would quit if he failed to achieve success.

"My goal is to increase the number and quality of players here," he said at the time.

"My strategy with the clubs will start in September.

"Two years maximum from then I will know if we are bringing the players through. That is the key area for me.

"If not then that will indicate that I have failed. I know I can't stay after that.

"The problem is the number of players we have, and that is very few.

"The fewer players we have, the less chance we have of success."

Yesterday Hagelauer defended his record: "I really do believe the game here is in a better position now than when I arrived. And I believe Britain will achieve its ambition of becoming a world-class tennis nation."

An LTA statement said the organisation will now: "Undertake a thorough search for a successor to Patrice with both internal and external candidates under consideration."