Tennis star Lizzie Jelfs is happy to get her kit off to encourage more women to take up tennis, writes Andrew Ffrench.

The cheeky bid to get more girls on court is a genuine Net-call as this glamorous picture forms part of a website - gbtennisgirls.com - promoting the newly-formed Women's Player Committee, based near Banbury.

As Oxfordshire's own Tim Henman gears up for Wimbledon later this month, 23-year-old Lizzie, of West Adderbury, is one of a group of players who have teamed up to improve the profile of the women's game.

And one of their first moves was to pose naked, with just a Union flag covering their blushes. Lizzie, who co-founded the committee with fellow player Helen Crook, said: "In an individual sport, it is refreshing to feel part of a group with a common goal. By working with the Lawn Tennis Association, I am sure we can have an impact on the British game."

Lizzie is the reigning doubles national champion and a former British number one. She isn't telling whether she was wearing anything behind the giant flag, but her mum Sue said: "I have seen the poster and I am not embarrassed by it. I think she had something on underneath."

The new group hopes to provide feedback on all women's tennis issues to the LTA, the sport's governing body. The website will include information on players, message boards, live Wimbledon "locker-room" chats and a resource page for players and parents.

Lizzie will miss Wimbledon this year because she is studying for her finals in sports science and recreational management at Loughborough University. Her career as a junior included winning the Wimbledon doubles title in 1994 and both singles and doubles at the Junior National Championships. In 1995, the transition to senior tennis saw her reach the semi-finals of the $75,000 Challenger tournament in Brasilia.

She is currently ranked 11th in British doubles and on the website describes herself as "hard-working, dedicated, conscientious, fun-loving and energetic".