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Times
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Times
The British kids coached for Wimbledon — in 6 years' time
It's 9am on a sunny Sunday and, while most children are watching cartoons or heading to the beach, in a south London suburb a group of under-tens is doing fierce battle. 'Keep believing!' one dad shouts from a line of parents barely managing to sit still on plastic chairs, their eyes fixed on their budding tennis stars. 'Come on!' someone's mother yells. Outside, a small boy holding a large racket is being given a whispered lecture about 'staying focused'. On court, the kids are just as serious. 'Let's go!' screams a girl in plaits as she sends a winner sailing past her opponent. There's a lot of grand slam-style grunting as balls are hit with all the aggression (quite a lot, as it turns out) that pre-teens can muster. Welcome to mini Wimbledon. Well, the All England Lawn Tennis Club's 22-acre community centre in Raynes Park — a stone's throw from SW19 — which provides world-class facilities to help Britain's junior talent grow into the next Andy Murray. Actually, forget Murray. These youngsters are more interested in being the next Emma Raducanu, who won the 2021 US Open aged 18, or Jack Draper, 23, the world No 4. The latter is an ambassador for the charity Tennis First, which has put on today's tournament and offers grants to talented juniors it feels could break into the world's Top 250. Over the past two decades, it has funded more than 300 Brits — including Draper, Raducanu, Katie Boulter, Jacob Fearnley and Harriet Dart. So is it easy to spot grand slam potential? And what does it take to raise the next Jack or Emma? • Andy Murray to get a statue at Wimbledon 'You can tell at such a young age,' says Abbie Probert, 36, a former junior player and the director of Tennis First. 'Everyone can hit forehands and backhands but there's something that sets them apart, whether it's reading the game tactically or being mentally strong. 'The parents will always be competitive, because they want their child to succeed. I can understand that perception of the pushy parent; they want to encourage them and they don't always know the best way to do that. But if they want it more than the child, it's never going to work. It has to come from the kids or it's game over.' And all that enthusiasm comes with a time limit. To make the Top 250, Probert explains, you need to be on track — with a fully rounded game — by the age of ten. Yes, you read that correctly. 'The kids are like mini pros now,' she says. 'They do warm-ups and match analysis. They have an entourage: tennis coaches, strength and conditioning coaches, psychologists. They're nine and looking at what they eat and how they sleep. They're building a social media following. The tennis player is being shaped.' Looking at the procession of determined youngsters here, racket bags slung over their shoulders, striding to their next match as though it's on Centre Court, it seems hard to disagree. 'I want to play grand slams and be world No 1,' ten-year-old Joshua Lotsu says confidently. If he could win one grand slam? 'Wimbledon,' he says, looking at me as though that's the most obvious thing in the world. 'Well, someone has to,' his father, Lebene, chimes in. Joshua first picked up a racket aged four, during lockdown, when his dad started hitting a softball with him in the family sitting room in nearby Surbiton. 'Straight away he had a knack,' says Lebene, an accountant. After some parental pushing, the head coach at their local (oversubscribed) tennis club gave Joshua a trial. He aced it and got a place on its training programme, aged just five. 'That came as a shock,' Lebene admits. 'That he could have his own coach so young.' Tennis now plays a huge part in family life. Joshua is a pupil at Ewell Castle in Surrey (£5,700 a term), which has a tennis academy attached. He plays for the county and, in February, represented Great Britain during a junior Davis Cup-style event in Nottingham, where his dad wasn't allowed to watch — parents presumably being a fist-pumping distraction. He does 13 hours of tennis a week, mostly at school where 'he'll miss certain lessons, like art, but none of the essential ones', Lebene says. And he already has a team, including his club coach, school coach and a strength coach. 'He tore his calf muscle last year and was out for three months, so it's critical that he strengthens his body,' Lebene says. Or as Joshua sees it, 'I like tennis because it's fun, I get to play with my friends and it gives me energy.' Two or three weekends a month, his parents (mum Annabel works for a charity) drive him around the country to tournaments, although they flew to Scotland. For the past two summer holidays the family — including his older sister, who attends the Brit performing arts school — decamped to Barcelona's elite Emilio Sánchez Academy, where Andy Murray trained from the age of 15. 'He plays with the top kids in Britain a lot, so you're thinking, 'Who's the best player in Europe that he can hit with?' ' Lebene says. 'We don't come from a tennis background and we're learning as we go along. I didn't appreciate the amount of time, money and dedication that would be required.' Being from a 'tennis family' can certainly help. Judy Murray is a former junior player turned coach, as is Jack Draper's mother, Nicky, while his father, Roger, ran the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) from 2006 to 2013. Not to mention that most of the top British players are from middle-class backgrounds. It might be easier to start playing tennis these days, but high-quality coaching and the ability to travel, especially overseas, don't come cheap, and can make the difference to whether your child succeeds. It takes, Probert estimates, 'pretty much another full-time income to be one of the best. It's a never-ending bill for these parents. Realistically, they're spending at least £30,000 a year.' A quick shopping list: one-to-one lessons, three or four times a week, cost between £35 and £100. Group sessions are £10-£20 a go. Physio can be £50-£100. Quality rackets are about £100 and most kids have two. You might need white kit for a tournament one week, black the next. And consider the rapidity with which adolescents grow out of trainers, with different pairs required for grass, clay and hard courts. Then there's travel, hotels, food and tournament entry fees. Little wonder the LTA has estimated it costs £250,000 to develop a player from 5 until 18. Ironically, the more you spend, the more affordable it can become, as brands begin to notice budding talent. Joshua gets rackets and kit from Wilson. Sisters Lainee, 12, and Nolwaine Ngassam, 9, are sponsored by Head. The sisters are coached in Ashtead, Surrey, by their dad, Cedric. An enthusiastic amateur, he works in finance and introduced his eldest daughter to his favourite sport aged three. 'As soon as I could walk, I wanted to follow Daddy,' Lainee says. 'Then I wanted to follow as well,' Nolwaine adds. Comparisons to the Williams sisters are perhaps inevitable. Venus first picked up a racket aged four, with Serena keen to copy her sibling. Their gruelling 6am sessions — with their coach-dad, Richard — became as legendary as their rivalry. Nolwaine is often practising by 7am. She trains five times a week for up to two hours at a time — dedication that's made her under-nine girls' champion for Surrey and ranked in the Top 2 for her age. Having been spotted by scouts, Lainee has spent the past two years on the LTA Pathway, which helps to subsidise promising players. It means that she trains six times a week, usually after finishing her homework, plus strength and conditioning sessions — a must since she's recently shot up by several inches. Before joining the pathway, Lainee took a couple of months away from tennis to think about whether she wanted to commit. 'I missed it,' she says. 'It was good to have holidays and stop for a bit, but I was happy when I started again.' 'And now she doesn't want to stop any more,' her mum, Lembe, says. Theirs is a carefully constructed family schedule, planned four months in advance, so the girls, who often want to play in tournaments at opposite ends of the country, can do as much as possible. 'It's like a miniature professional timetable, which is the right thing to do because Lainee is already 12,' Lembe says. 'If you look at British players like Hannah [Klugman, 16] and Mika [Stojsavljevic, last year's US Open junior champion at 15], how old are they? She's not too far from them.' (Klugman and Stojsavljevic have been given wild cards to play in the main draw at Wimbledon this year.) They don't have plans to train abroad, as Lembe explains. 'Tennis is still a bit elitist. You can have talent, but if you're not supported financially, it's really difficult. Having their dad as their coach helps.' Being mini pros also means having a nutrition plan. 'We don't go crazy because they're still children,' Lembe says. 'But I remember going to a county cup and this dad walked in with chocolate doughnuts. Nolwaine was asking, 'I can't eat that?' And I said, 'If you want to perform well, you can't. Sorry.' ' The sisters are, Lainee says, 'very competitive, but only when we play each other'. 'Family can be supportive but sometimes I get stressed,' Nolwaine says. 'I put pressure on myself to win when they watch me.' 'I always tell my girls, I am not raising tennis players,' Lembe says. 'If we set the goal of them becoming professional we put added pressure on them, whereas if they're enjoying it, they will progress in the right direction.' • Why pampered top ten are wrong to demand more money from grand slams Except, here's the harsh truth: you have to be prepared to lose week in, week out. Winning is rare in a sport where only one person lifts the trophy. For every player who makes it, hundreds won't. And only a handful of the elite get anywhere near grand slam prize money — £2.7 million for last year's Wimbledon singles winners. 'To make a living, you need to be in the world's Top 100,' Probert says. 'There are a lot of players in the Top 250 who are struggling. When you're younger, the financial pressure is your parents'. But when you're paying your own bills and the only way to relieve the burden is to win, that's a lot of pressure.' Tennis First has handed out grants of up to £10,000 to about 350 juniors, but just 20 have made it into the Top 250. 'It isn't a huge number,' Probert concedes. 'But British tennis is in a strong position now, with great role models. More players are coming through.' One of those is Liv Zingg from Barnes in southwest London — although she's speaking to me from Nairobi, where she's just triumphed in an International Tennis Federation tournament. The 14-year-old, who started playing with friends, aged 5, in a Notting Hill park, has recently taken a big step on the path to going pro: leaving home. She and her mother, Nicole, a former figure skater and until recently Liv's fitness coach, first moved to Mallorca, where Liv had a scholarship at the Rafa Nadal Academy. Now they're at the Francesca Schiavone training facility in northern Italy, which her family is paying for with the help of Tennis First (academies can cost £40,000-£60,000 a year). Liv's days are carefully structured. 'I do three hours of tennis and three hours of fitness. On Wednesdays, a physio comes. And we always break from 12-2pm — the Italians like their lunch.' She is 'happy', but there are sacrifices that come with not living a regular teenage life — leaving friends behind, being home schooled, only seeing her dad and sister during holidays or if she has a tournament in the UK. 'I started doing trips at 12 and I had trouble with staying away from home. I was crying. I was kind of bullied at one stage too. But I've got used to it,' she says. In September she's going to join the acclaimed National Tennis Academy in Loughborough, with a fully funded package including schooling, meals, accommodation, travel and coaching. It will mean living by herself for the first time and sharing dorms with her peers (ie the competition). 'I'll be able to go home every weekend and it's only two hours away, so I think I'll be OK,' she says. Her commitment is, at least, paying off. Liv is ranked third in Europe for her age, plays for Britain and has been invited to take part in the prestigious under-14s tournament at Wimbledon during the championships. Oh, and she signed with talent agency IMG at the age of 12; that's 6 years earlier than Jack Draper. On Instagram she's known as 'Super Liv' and has 4,000 followers. One recent post read, 'You accept it. Cry it out if you need to, then force a smile. You move on. Be relentless. Adapt and grow. Work harder. Work smarter.' Although, Liv says, 'I've never posted anything myself; that's all my mum.' Her dream? 'To become world No 1 and hold the record for winning the most grand slams. That would be cool.' 'That ambition,' Probert says, 'combined with hard work, is what it takes to become the next Jack or Emma.' Which is why I don't bat an eyelid when Nolwaine says, softly but surely, 'I'd like to win Wimbledon.' Or when her sister turns to me and smiles. 'Me too.'
Wales Online
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper's feelings on each other become clear as his words say it all
Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper's feelings on each other become clear as his words say it all Emma Raducanu is one of the biggest stars in British sport having won the US Open in 2021 - but the 19-year-old has faced criticism for breaking a Wimbledon rule Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper (Image: Tennis First ) Emma Raducanu's improving form has continued this week as she now takes on world No. 2 Coco Gauff in the last 16 of the Italian Open on Monday. Raducanu's career on the court has been beset by problems since becoming an overnight superstar in 2021 with a stunning US Open title win from nowhere. Numerous coaches have come and gone, while she has also been a victim of unwanted attention from a fan and has faced criticism for losing focus on the sport after becoming a big celebrity. Her personal life, romantic relationships, and a Wimbledon controversy have all been under the spotlight, but she has someone close to her to support her through it all. Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper's relationship status There has been speculation surrounding Raducanu's connections with tennis peers, such as a possible romance with Carlos Alcaraz, but it is her close bond with fellow Brit Jack Draper that has caught the eye. Their connection is said to be purely platonic but there's no doubt they care for each other greatly, given what they have both said. The British duo were born just a year apart and have come through the ranks together and formed a close friendship over the years, supporting each other away from the court. Article continues below Draper has said of Raducanu: "She has always been there for me and I have always been there for her. She's very kind, very thoughtful, always giggling, really smart. A really, really good girl." He added: "What Emma did was obviously incredibly inspiring," he told reporters. "I've known her from a young age, and to see what she did was incredible. 'I was very proud of her, very excited. Obviously, we've watched the likes of Andy Murray winning a Grand Slam from Great Britain, but her winning, it was just really a fairy-tale run. 'I definitely think as a competitor, it fuelled my fire. I really wanted to achieve what she'd done, winning a Grand Slam. At the same time I do understand that the men's and the women's, it is different. We're playing five sets. It's a different physical challenge and all these types of things. [But] I learned a lot from watching Emma win, that run, and how amazing she was.' Following Draper's recent move into the world's top five, Raducanu returned the compliment, saying: 'It's amazing to see what he's achieved and how much he's done. I know he's a great tennis player and he [has] such a big stature that he can take the game out of anyone's hands. For him to kind of dominate like he has been is really cool to see.' Emma Raducanu in Rome this week (Image: Emma Raducanu/ Instagram ) Does Emma Raducanu have a boyfriend? The tennis circuit was abuzz with rumours last year after Romeo Beckham was spotted at Wimbledon watching Raducanu, sparking speculation about their relationship following her recent split from her boyfriend. As Emma Raducanu glided to a straight-sets triumph over Elise Mertens in round two, the glare of the spotlight wasn't reserved solely for her. Romeo Beckham, David and Victoria's second son, caught the attention of many, with the company of friends and ex-Germany player Sami Khedira in the stands. The 22 year old former Brentford footballer, whose passion for tennis is well-known – marked notably by his training stint with Andy Murray – unwittingly turned heads at the match. The Beckhams' fondness for Raducanu isn't hushed news; indeed, David Beckham was glimpsed alongside his mum, Sandra, ensconced in Wimbledon's prestigious Royal Box, as they cheered on the burgeoning tennis sensation. While Romeo's attendance could simply stem from admiration for Raducanu, it did stir up chatter and speculative buzz, especially after he posted an Instagram snap of Raducanu mid-game, adorned with heart emojis. But for Raducanu, Romeo's presence was taken in stride. She commented: "I mean, I think he's, yeah, he's really cool," recognising her esteem for the Beckham name and the influence David Beckham has had on British sport. The tennis star previously parted ways with Carlo Agostinelli, an aspiring footballer who briefly played for Tottenham Hotspur before joining Stanford University's team. He is the son of billionaire Robert Agostinelli. Raducanu and Agostinelli's split came after the pair started dating around May 2023, appearing together at several events such as the Dior 2024 Cruise show in Mexico. They were last spotted together at Paris Fashion Week. The breakup seemed confirmed when Raducanu unfollowed her ex on social media ahead of Wimbledon. What Wimbledon rule did Emma Raducanu break? The young tennis star reportedly caused a stir at Wimbledon's All England Club last year by allegedly breaking a dress code that has been in place for 150 years. She was accused of "arrogance" for reportedly ignoring the club's strict all-white attire rule, which applies to both matches and practice sessions at SW19, as well as the main Grand Slam event in the summer. According to the Daily Mail, Raducanu was practising on the courts in "whatever she wants", much to the annoyance of some club members. The All England Club's strict dress code, dating back to the 1880s, demands players don "suitable tennis attire that is almost entirely white" upon entering the court. Despite a 2023 amendment allowing women to wear dark undershorts for menstrual concerns, the rules are still tight, reports Wales Online. White attire must not be off-white or cream, and only a trim of a single colour up to 10mm is allowed on necklines or sleeve cuffs. Yet, Raducanu reportedly turned heads by arriving in a pink outfit, leading to a member's complaint to the Mail: "It's so unfair. Who does she think she is? Just because she's won the US Open doesn't mean she can wear whatever she wants." Raducanu isn't alone in causing a stir over dress code; Nick Kyrgios made waves in 2022 with his red Nike Jordan shoes and cap, although he switched to white gear later. Even Roger Federer faced criticism for sporting orange-soled shoes at the prestigious venue. Emma Raducanu's net worth The 22 year old's remarkable triumph at the 2021 US Open propelled her to global stardom, turning her from an unknown teenage qualifier into the fresh face of British tennis overnight. Her historic victory shattered several records as she became the first ever qualifier to clinch a Grand Slam title and the first British woman to do so since Virginia Wade's Wimbledon success in 1977. At a tender age of 18, she was also the youngest Grand Slam champion since Maria Sharapova in 2004. Naturally, securing that title dramatically altered Raducanu's life, as she swiftly graced the cover of every newspaper and magazine, was crowned the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year and even received an MBE for her contributions to tennis. Article continues below Endorsement deals rapidly followed, and she soon became a brand ambassador for luxury brands such as Dior, Tiffany and Porsche, as well as corporations like HSBC, Vodafone and British Airways. Raducanu has also inked contracts with Nike, Wilson and Evian, while she has starred in adverts for Sports Direct too. All of this means that, besides her career earnings which currently sit at just over £3 million, Raducanu is reported to have an impressive net worth. According to the Sunday Times Rich List, it is estimated to be around £10 million, with Forbes last year ranking her as the sixth highest-paid tennis player globally. The British sensation is teetering on the edge of an even more lucrative horizon, as insiders project that with a repeat of her 2021 triumphs, she might surpass an eye-watering £100 million in wealth. A prominent sports agent conveyed to MailOnline, "She can easily earn £100 million or more. The sky's the limit."
