Want to see more British youngsters playing tennis at the highest level? Read on...

General / Editor / 11 June 2008 / Leave a Comment

As Britain's hopes of having a player in the draw for week two of Wimbledon rest solely on the shoulders of Andy Murray once more, betting.betfair.com spoke to Paul Jessop of the TennisForFree charity who are trying to change all that. "We just want to help more people to hit more balls" he tell us...

Thanks for taking time out to speak to us, Paul. As Wimbledon approaches, Great Britain's hopes rest solely on the shoulders of Andy Murray. Or are there any other youngsters that we should look out for?

I think it is a case of just Andy Murray for the UK's shoulders. However, there are a few British players that could blossom in a couple of years, keep an eye on Dan Evans - he will struggle in the Men's Draw but it will be interesting to see how he gets on in the juniors.

Why are we failing to produce Top 100 players despite the LTA having one of the largest budgets of any tennis federation in the world?

It is a long process to produce top players. The players that are at the peak of their careers now are there as a result of the LTA and various other British Tennis initiatives. I think we will have to wait another 10 years before we can find out how successful the new LTA and related British Tennis initiatives are.

French Open champion Ana Ivanovic has spoken of having to practice in an empty swimming pool as a child in war-ridden Serbia and that going through those challenges made her the player hungry for success that she is today. Is it fair to say there's a lack of hunger amongst British players because it's all too easy and they have nothing to lose if they don't make it to the top?

I think there is a huge decision for talented tennis players at 16 years of age. You can give it your best and play professional tennis and have a slim shot at success, you can do A levels then go to Uni, get a degree and earn £30k plus for the rest of your life or make a half-hearted attempt at both. In Eastern European countries there often isn't the 2nd & 3rd options mentioned above, so it is easy to give everything you've got to chase your dream. In the UK, many talented players believe they have more to lose by chasing their dreams.

Your charity is looking to change the perception that tennis in the UK is a game for middle-class children whose parents can afford expensive equipment and coaching. What can you tell us about what you do?

The charity aims to convince as many local authorities as possible to make their park courts free for public use and move away from the 'pay & play' mentality that restricts tennis court usage in parks. In selected parks we also run free coaching on the free park courts and also provide free equipment. The areas with our free coaching initiative result in thriving and growing tennis communities that are producing more tennis players and increasing tennis interest.

The likes of Bjorn Bjorg, Richard Krajicek and David Baddiel have all volunteered to help with your charity. How useful has their support been?

It is great to have top names and celebrities supporting us and it all helps to raise awareness of the charity and the work we do.

I'm keen to see a British player win Wimbledon before I'm an OAP! How can I make a donation to your charity to improve the chances of this happening?

We can't guarantee that any donations will result in future British champions, although we can guarantee that anything donated will go towards helping more people to hit more balls. You can make a donation to the charity by visiting this link from our website: http://www.tennisforfree.com/donate.php. We are grateful for any donations and even £1 can make a difference.

It's a bit late for me to become the next British tennis hope but I do like a bit of fantasy tennis. How do I get stuck in?

We have a great fun fantasy league tennis game running for Wimbledon that is completely free to enter and you can win great prizes. Simply visit www.tffdreamteam.com

Wimbledon starts on Mon 23rd June.

To find out more about the TennisForFree charity go to:

http://www.tennisforfree.com/