Katy Lewin won Herefordshire & Worcestershire’s Road to Wimbledon. The Manor Park teenager reveals all about a magical week in SW19 which included meeting Tim Henman, competing against the best players in the UK and enjoying a special party on the Centre Court Terrace.
The Road to Wimbledon is a National Tennis Tournament for age 14 and under girls and boys which starts with 20,000 entrants. Players compete at club level with the winner and runner up being invited to their respective County finals. The winner of the County tournament and some runners up get the chance to compete in the National Finals at The All England Club Wimbledon.
As this would be my last opportunity to compete in this tournament I was determined to make it to Wimbledon. Both my sister Sally and I made it to the County Finals which I won and Sally won the consolation draw. Her time may come later.
After winning I was presented with a trophy and a big envelope with all the information and rules which I would need for Wimbledon. This included the dress code, which was all white clothing including the soles of your shoes and a map around the grounds. This was very strictly enforced during my visit.
Wimbledon was amazing! The grass was so green, and the grounds men cut and marked the courts every morning before play. Only the players were allowed to walk on it. The ladies changing rooms were very plush with lots of free hair and skin products that were replenished every day.
Our matches were played at Aorangi Park within the Wimbledon grounds. The play was great with a very high standard. We were drawn in boxes of four and initially played each other, with the top two going into the main draw and the bottom two entering the consolation draw. My first match was against a girl from the Channel Islands who was just a bit too strong for me. She went on to compete as a main draw finalist where she finished as runner up. My next match was against a girl from Sussex who went on to play in the main draw semis. I played really well in these matches and felt pleased with my performance as even though I lost my final match in the box draw, it was on an 8-10 tie break so I put up a strong fight.
My first consolation match was against a girl from Cornwall who was the same rating as me – this also went to a 8-10 tie break in the third set and she went on to finish as the runner up in the consolation draw. I had some tough, but very enjoyable matches.
As well as playing the matches we enjoyed a free tour around the museum and grounds. This was amazing as we got to go and look at No.1 and Centre Courts, sit in the press room and conduct an interview, as well as seeing the replica’s of the Men’s and Ladies Wimbledon trophies. As a player we also had a complimentary voucher to spend in the Wimbledon shop and a T-shirt and hoodie signed by Tim Henman, who I also met as part of my visit. Some friends and family also came to watch me play throughout the week – it was nice to have some extra supporters and for them to also enjoy the Wimbledon venue.
Midweek we had a players’ party, held on the Centre Court Terrace. It was a very posh evening with food and entertainment including an awesome magician and a team quiz. It was good to mix with the other players from around the country.
All in all my week at Wimbledon was amazing and it is an experience that I hugely enjoyed and will never forget.