'I'm playing Wimbledon at 96 - I won't stop until I drop dead on court'

Daily Mirror

5 hours ago

Three determined Wimbledon champs with a combined age of 271 swear that their enduring passion for tennis keeps them young, declaring, 'you're never too old to play'
Fans who are following the fortunes of Emma Radacanu and Jack Draper at Wimbledon may be surprised to discover that this trio of talented Brits have already beaten them - game, set and match.
For Lennie Lawrence, Pam McGrath, and Dorothy Bamber are all Wimbledon winners and are going for the grand slam again this year … at the combined age of 271!
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At 96, Lennie Lawrence has won the Wimbledon men's over-85s singles FOUR times.
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Pam McGrath, 90, is currently the No. 1 player in the world in her age group and will be competing in the over-90s singles this year.
And Dorothy Bamber, 85, is the current Wimbledon women's singles champion in the over-80s and hopes to serve up a winning match again this year.
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'I have no plans to ever give up – I'll probably drop dead on court!' laughs East London-born Lennie. 'Playing tennis helps keep you young. The longest-living people are veteran tennis players.
'I'm slower than I used to be, and I have aches and pains. I have issues with my knee, arthritis in one shoulder and one of my feet, so I can't run as well, but that comes with age.
'I still enjoy tennis and I'd say to anyone thinking of taking it up - you're never too old to play. It's a matter of attitude. I've always been on the move.'
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First picking up a racquet as a teenager during World War Two, he tells The Mirror: 'We went to the local park, but didn't know what to do, because there was no television, so we couldn't watch it on screen.'
Instead, Lennie, who had a business importing metal fittings, took up table tennis and only began playing tennis competitively at 35.
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Winning the Wimbledon Singles over-85s title when he was 90, he also flew to Croatia that year as captain of Team GB in the World Veterans Tennis Championships. Then, aged 94, he competed in the World Championships in Majorca.
A prostate cancer survivor, he lives in Aldenham, Hertfordshire, with his wife Claire, 90, and stays fit by following a healthy diet.
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'I eat loads of vegetables and fruit, and I do not drink cola or any rubbish like that, I call it drain cleaner,' he says. 'I don't have tomato sauce or anything sugary. I go to bed at 10 pm and I'm up early in the morning.'
A father-of-three and grandfather-of-five, he adds: 'Wimbledon has a cache. To play, there is something special.
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'And it's just as competitive in the over-90s as when the younger people play – everybody wants to win.
'It's a big part of my life, and if my body lets me, I'd still like to be playing there when I'm 100.'
Reigning world singles champion Pam McGrath, of Preston, Lancashire, describes herself as 'an average club player' who 'just carried on playing.'
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A winner of Wimbledon over-80s singles and doubles, she will be competing in the over-90s singles this year.
A widow, with two children and two grandchildren, she has travelled to tennis tournaments in places including Croatia, America, Turkey and Majorca.
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'It's not tiring, it's exciting,' she says. 'I might get lost sometimes, but I managed to get to Turkey on my own last year.'
The first female football reporter covering the First Division, Pam has always had a pioneering spirit.
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She recalls: 'I'd be in the press box at Preston North End every Saturday, providing running match reports.
'I had to write with a man's name, because I was told that nobody would read an article written by a woman sports writer.'
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A survivor of breast cancer in her late 70s, she continues: 'Tennis keeps me young, because all my tennis friends are much younger. I play two or three times a week and I love it.
'My mobility is not as good as it was when I was younger, so I've got to be more cunning – I've just had a lesson on doing drop shots.'
And her reputation has spread far and wide - with Pam receiving a call from an Australian, last year, asking if she would like to enter the mixed doubles at the World Masters Championship in Turkey with his father.
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'His father, Henry Young, was 100 – which puts me in the shade a bit!' she laughs.
'I said I would be privileged to play with him; he flew Spitfires in the war and is the oldest competitor in tennis in the world. We won the silver medal, and we're entering again this year when he'll be 101 and I'll be 91.'
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Playing tennis since the 1950s, the current Wimbledon over-80s singles champ and No. 2 over-85 women's singles and doubles player in the world, is planning to play in this year's over-85 singles and has her eyes on becoming world No. 1.
A mum-of-three, with seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild, an avid Cancer Help charity fundraiser, she says: 'I'm 775 points behind World No. 1 Irmgard Gerlatzka from Germany.
'She's a good player, but she's struggling a bit with her hips, so I'm creeping up to her now! I'm taking it seriously; I want to win Wimbledon again and get right to the top.'