Hackney Tennis Academy youngster dreaming of Wimbledon
Hackney's Thomas Drayton - Credit: Archant
Mossbourne pupil misses out this time
He may have missed out on the chance to follow in Sir Andy Murray’s footsteps at Wimbledon this summer but Hackney star Thomas Drayton insists his tennis dreams of playing at Wimbledon still burn brightly.
World number one Murray will once again spearhead the British charge when this year’s Championships get underway on Monday July 3.
The Mossbourne Community Academy pupil had the chance to also join him at the world-famous venue when he took part at last weekend’s HSBC Road to Wimbledon South East Regional Qualifier at West Worthing Tennis Club.
The 13-year-old was playing for a spot at the National Finals of the HSBC Road to Wimbledon 14 & Under Challenge at the All England Club between August 14 and 19.
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And, despite falling short of a memorable outing at the famous SW19 courts this time around, Drayton, who trains at Hackney Tennis Academy, is adamant we haven’t seen the last of him after losing 2-6 6-1 7-10 loss to Seb Holden in the first round.
He said: “I played a lot better in the first set than in the second set, and he sort of played better on the bigger points than I did.
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“There were some good players. If I’d got to Wimbledon, that would have been pretty big but I’ve got some other important tournaments coming up, so I’m looking forward to those and trying to do well.”
The HSBC Road to Wimbledon National 14 & Under Challenge forms part of HSBC’s investment in grassroots tennis; an area of the sport the Official Banking Partner of The Championships has been supporting since 2008.
Each year over 10,000 youngsters take part in the series of national tennis tournaments, helping to inspire the next generation of Wimbledon stars to take their tennis careers from the back garden to Centre Court.
HSBC is the Official Banking Partner of The Championships and is committed to supporting grassroots tennis, helping to inspire the next generation of Wimbledon stars to take their tennis careers from the back garden to Centre Court through the HSBC Road to Wimbledon 14 & Under Challenge. @HSBC_sport.
