Louis Glaves got through to the Road to Wimbledon National Finals, and tells his story here.
"My Road to Wimbledon started with the qualifying competition at Heversham Tennis Club. After the preliminary rounds I ended up facing my good friend Joe Till in the final. We had a good game but I came through OK. Next stop Eden Tennis Club in Carlisle for the county RTW knockout.
"The Eden event took place on the 13th July, one of the hottest days of the summer. After some good 1st and 2nd round matches I eventually made it through to the county final. Here I would meet Chris Edge who had got through his rounds showing good form too.
"Chris and I have played many times in the past and he has usually come out on top in the big games. I knew I had to play my best to beat him. By now the afternoon sun had reached its peak. We were in for a scorcher.
"After some tight games I edged the 1st set. 4-2. Chris came back strong to take the second 3-5. My RTW was coming down to 1 match tie break, real pressure!
"The first few points went with serve then Chris missed an easy smash which gave me a break. We battled it out and I eventually got on top taking the tie break 10-6. I’d made it to Wimbledon but I had no energy left to celebrate. The weather had sapped my strength. I laugh when I look back at the presentation photos. My face was like a beetroot!
"I felt sorry for Chris. He played really well. But as the county No.1 I knew he had a good chance of getting through as a lucky loser, which I found out later he did.
"My preparations for Wimbledon were not the best. I spent a week in France on holiday with my family and friends. It was a fantastic relaxing week but I didn’t practice much tennis.
"We flew straight back from France straight to London and turned up for the practice session on the Sunday 11th August. I’d been earlier in the summer to watch the Wimbledon Championships so I thought I knew what to expect. On the day though, I was amazed how well the whole tournament was organised and how fantastic the courts were to play on.
"On Monday, the tournament started properly. I had a tough first round draw against a much higher rated player than me, Brandon Murphy. I enjoyed the game but was well beaten. Next game was the highlight of Tournament for me. I got to play Joshua Elliot on court 19 which is used in the All England Championship and is right next to Court 1 and Henman Hill. I played really well and lost narrowly in 2 sets. It was a great experience though; something I will remember forever.
"On the next day I won my first match against James Skelter Maxwell. I also got to meet Tim Henman. We played a set together and I took a couple of games off him. Not really! I did get my photo taken with him though. After the event the organisers sent this to my Local Newspaper and it formed the centre piece of a story of my exploits. Mum bought copies for all my relatives!
"Over the final two days, Chris and I had a bit of a nightmare in the doubles but I did get through to the consolation singles quarter final.
"Overall I’d say this was one of the best weeks of my life. I was very grateful I had the opportunity to play tennis on the best courts in the world. I will remember the experience forever."
- Louis Glaves