King’s Norton’s junior tennis star, Bjorn Thomson was yesterday given the chance of a lifetime after he was selected to take part in a special tennis day alongside former Grand Slam champions Stefan Edberg and Mark Woodforde.
Thomson, who is a member of the British Tennis AEGON FutureStars programme which recognises and supports the best juniors in the country for their age group, was selected to take part in the once in a life time coaching session.
Edberg and Woodforde are in London to play in the prestigious AEGON Masters which is the final tournament on the 2009 ATP Champions Tour - a circuit of former World Number One tennis players; Grand Slam singles finalists and Davis Cup winners.
The two former Champions spent an hour at the National Tennis Centre passing on tips and advice to the specially selected players during the coaching session run by LTA coaches:
“I loved playing with the legends, it was just a fantastic experience, I even won points against Stefan Edberg”, said 12-year-old Thomson who attends The Edgbaston Priory Club.
The youngsters were then given the chance to play in the stunning surroundings of the Royal Albert Hall, as part of a demonstration in front of a capacity crowd who had assembled to watch former British number one Greg Rusedski take on Australia’s Mark Philippoussis.
“Playing at the Royal Albert Hall was amazing, there was a really great atmosphere and we got a round of applause when we were introduced. I was a bit nervous at the start but once I’d warmed up I had a really good time!” said Thomson.
Stefan Edberg, who won six Grand Slam singles titles including Wimbledon, the US Open and the French Open, commented:
“The session went well with the kids getting really involved, they’ve tired me out. I think we were both surprised at how good these kids are; they have powerful shots, they get on the ball well and obviously have great movement. I had no idea and wasn’t really expecting for them to get points against me.
“It’s really important that these kids continue to love what they do and that, along with support from family and coaching staff, will lead to success. It’s necessary for them to put the hours in, practice hard and most importantly to keep competing, but I’ve been amazed by the talent of these kids.”
For tickets to the AEGON Masters Tennis, please call the box office on: +44 (0) 208 233 5882, or visit the official website www.aegonmasterstennis.com or www.themasterstennis.com.