The new £250m investment into grass-roots tennis announced last week by the Lawn Tennis Association got an immediate ‘thumbs up’ from Wales No 1 Evan Hoyt.
The talented 22-year-old from Llanelli, who has spent the past 12 months nursing a shoulder problem and recuperating from surgery, was at the Tennis Wales launch in Cardiff and delighted to hear that money has been earmarked for more indoor facilities.
Research has revealed that around a third of possible playing hours in the UK are lost due to rain and darkness. Despite being one of the wettest parts of the country, only 3.9% of courts in Wales are covered, whilst only a quarter of courts across the Principality are floodlit.
The latest Sport Wales School Sports survey of 116,000 school children found that more than a third (34.57%) wanted to play more tennis. Overall, only 3.6% of people in Wales play tennis every month, so improving facilities and access are key to meeting demand and increasing participation.
As a tennis-mad youngster, Hoyt used to travel to use a local farmer’s barn to practice indoors when rain or bad light stopped play. That’s why he welcomed the record investment announced from the UK by the LTA which will see more floodlit and covered facilities in communities up and down the country.
"Better facilities will hopefully lead to greater participation and it’s good news that they have identified the need for more covered courts,” said Hoyt.
Hoyt is hoping to put more than a year of injury misery well and truly behind him next week when he gets back into doubles action as he attempts to claw his way into the top 250 payers in the world in the next few years.
His highest ATP Singles ranking before his injury was 542 and he is currently ranked No.1 in Wales and No.14 in Britain. His first steps back on the comeback trail will be at Havant, where South Wales will face Derbyshire, Yorkshire, Hampshire & IOW, Cheshire and Cambridgeshire in a battle for promotion to Group 1.
“I can’t wait to get back into action and I’m looking to ease my way back into competitive tennis with five days of doubles at ‘County Week’ before trying to get back onto the international stage,” said Hoyt, speaking at the launch of the ‘Transforming British Tennis Together’ scheme.
“I’ve been out of action for more than a year with a right shoulder problem and had an operation in December, but everything is fine now. It is all about persistence and hard work and I’m determined to stick at it.
“It isn’t easy getting up the rankings. I need to stay healthy and if I can do that I believe I can progress – I won a few Futures titles and my ranking shot up to the 500s.”
Hoyt won two Futures $10k Singles titles in 2015 and five doubles titles before his injury. As a junior he reached No.53 in the ITF Junior World Rankings, was a doubles semi-finalist at Junior Wimbledon and helped the British team to win the Junior Davis Cup for first time.
He grew up playing his tennis in South Wales, before making the move to London to attend the Reed’s School Tennis Academy at the age of 12.
He then decided he wanted to play tennis professionally. Aged just 16, he ‘hit’ for five successive days with Rafael Nadal in the second week at Wimbledon before the Spaniard’s appearance in the 2011 final.
“Rafa is very intense and always very tough to beat and that was the best tennis week of my life.”
After completing his studies at the age of 18, he spent a year at the National Tennis Centre in London and six months in Nottingham before returning home to be based in Cardiff at the end of 2015.
Shortly after that he was laid low by his shoulder problem and has been fighting to get back ever since.
“To get a wild card to play at Wimbledon you have to get into the top 250 in the world. I’m only 22 and I don’t see why I can’t get up to that level in the next two years or so,” said Hoyt.
“Andy Murray reached his 10th quarter final in a row at Wimbledon and that shows the sort of consistency and persistence you need at the top. He is definitely someone to look up to and he has inspired so many youngsters to get out onto the court.
“Roger Federer and Venus Williams are living proof of what you can achieve with hard work. They are definitely at the end of their careers, but there is a longer life span in professional tennis now than ever before.
“It just shows that you don’t have to panic if you haven’t quite made it yet at the age of 23 or 24. I’d love to play at Wimbledon in the future."
Local clubs and communities can find out how to apply for the new LTA funding by visiting www.lta.org.uk/TBTT