LTA Women's Head Coach Carl Maes has urged the British public to ditch the genteel image and create a more hostile atmosphere for opponents at Wimbledon.

Maes spoke out after seeing Mel South slip to a hard-fought defeat to 28th seed Alona Bondarenko in a game that could have gone either way.

And the Belgian coach insisted a more vocal crowd could have tipped the balance.

Maes said: "It is something very different in this country - in other countries they are a lot more passionate.

"I remember being involved in Federation Cup matches where there was a lot of noise.

"The crowd could certainly get more behind the players.

"They could make much more noise and help the British players.

"When it gets important and everyone crowds around the court they could make life a lot more difficult for opponents."

One area that certainly does please Maes though is the burgeoning form of the British women's game.

With Elana Baltacha triumphing in her first-round encounter and South producing a gutsy display on day one, Maes is confident a golden age for the female game could be in the offing.

He added: "British women's tennis is in a good situation.

"Unlike previous years the girls are in a position where they can genuinely win matches.

"I know in the past Brits have beaten seeded players but if it had happened today it wouldn't have been so much of a surprise.

"They are closing the gap but to say that we will have women in the second week is still along way off.

"But they are a lot more competitive than they were in the past and that is nice to see."