THE tartanification of UK tennis is almost complete.

Judy Murray's appointment as captain of the Great Britain Fed Cup team has still to be finalised but should, as expected, the Lawn Tennis Association conclude contract negotiations in the next few days, a game which once belonged almost exclusively to the genteel lawns of the home counties will have succumbed to a formidable Scottish stranglehold.

It will mean that Scots, in the form of Leon Smith and Murray respectively, will simultaneously hold the captaincy of both the Davis Cup and Fed Cup teams, not to mention the role of head of men's and women's tennis at the LTA [Smith]. Two more of their ain folk – even if one of them spent his formative years in Barcelona and the other was born in Kiev and spent much of her life in Enfield – in the form of Andy Murray and Elena Baltacha are the top British performers in men's and women's singles. And just for good measure, Colin Fleming and Jamie Murray are the top-ranked players in the doubles ranks, and Gordon Reid of Helensburgh is the top-ranked Brit in the wheelchair tennis singles.

No wonder there was enthusiastic support for the prospective appointment yesterday. Baltacha checked in from Ipswich, where she is already in week four of her pre-season training block, to tell Herald Sport that she couldn't wait to work again with a woman who she first encountered as a teenager in Paisley. "I go way back with Judy," Baltacha said. "She used to take me at Under-14 matches and I get on very well with her. She comes in with a lot of knowledge and experience and it would just be so nice to have a Fed Cup captain like that who is extremely passionate about the sport. It looks like the Scots are coming."

If and when she is appointed, Murray will inherit three players in the world's top 100 – with Baltacha ranked 51st, Anne Keothavong in 73rd, Heather Watson in 93rd, and Laura Robson not far behind in 132nd. Not to mention a host of talented younger players coming through the ranks, such as Scotland's Anastasia Mikheeva, the 12-year-old who has been winning tennis titles in Europe this year. It is a far cry from the men's game, where there is a lack of strength and depth in the singles ranks behind world No.3 Murray.

Braehead Arena, near Baltacha's own stomping ground, has emerged as a regular home stadium for the Davis Cup team and who knows there may be the possibility of hosting Fed Cup ties there down the line, even though the regional group of the female team competition is held in a round-robin format in Eilat, Israel next year. Countries such as Denmark, featuring former world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki, will also be in Israel at the end of January but Baltacha sees no reason why – with Murray's help – the British women couldn't return to the World group.

"The females are doing fantastic and it has to be more like that in the guys, although they do have some very good juniors coming through now," she said. "There will be 15 teams going to Israel so that means four teams per group, then you have to win your group even to get into the play-off, so there are quite a few matches before we can establish ourselves, but we have a very strong team and if we do have the influence of Judy I can't see why we can't get promoted.

"We have come so close in the past. Hopefully this year everyone is going to be fully fit and hopefully, if selected, we are going to have a really good team. It would also be amazing if we could play a home tie up in Glasgow."

A spokesman for Tennis Scotland was equally enthusiastic. "If it were to happen, Tennis Scotland would very much welcome the move," a spokesman for Scotland's tennis governing body said yesterday. "Judy has already proved herself to be one of the top female coaches around and tennis in this country is at an all-time high in terms of interest."

Incidentally, Tennis Scotland unveil their annual report later this week and although their results show a small loss (funding from the LTA dropped by some £36,000) and a drop in annual turnover from £1.61m to £1.47m, in most other ways the results are positive. Regular competing juniors have increased by more than 500 in the space of a year, membership of British tennis north of the border is up from 18,045 to 22,003, and Scotland has 66 'Clubmark' clubs, up from 51 just 12 months ago.

Baltacha was also looking forward to representing Great Britain in another competition this year. She has to stay in the world's top 60 to make the cut for the Olympic tennis competition. "Obviously next year is a big year so fingers crossed I can make a few cuts for the Olympics," she said. "As long as I can stay fit and keep working hard then hopefully I will be there in my Team GB tracksuit, sampling the amazing atmosphere."

That will be held at the All England club. But the big hitters of British tennis may soon all speak with a Scottish accent.