Oxfordshire coach to train GB Paralympic champion for Wimbledon
An amateur tennis coach from Oxfordshire will be heading to Wimbledon this summer as part of the official training team for a Paralympic champion.
Phil Howes, who began his coaching career in Bicester, will be accompanying tennis star Alfie Hewett to Roland Garros and Wimbledon this summer as his official hitting training partner.
The Bicester local met Norfolk's Mr Hewett after he entered and won a British Gas Peaksave competition, giving him the chance to play a game against the Grand Slam champion himself.
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The game between Mr Howes and the tennis star sparked a professional connection that led to the coach joining Mr Hewett's training team.
Now a valued member of Team Hewett, Mr Howes supported the player at the Australian Open, where Mr Hewett won both the singles and doubles titles.
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They are now preparing for the Grand Slam tournaments ahead.
Mr Howes said: "I'm so grateful to PeakSave and British Gas for serving up this incredible opportunity.
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"I never imagined that entering a competition would take me from coaching amateurs on local courts in Bicester to helping train a Grand Slam champion for the world stage.
"It's been surreal, but incredibly rewarding to be part of Alfie's journey."
Mr Howes spent years developing local juniors in Bicester and Oxford and fostering a love for tennis in the community, before the lifechanging opportunity to hit with Mr Hewett came along.
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