April and May are two huge months for tennis in Wrexham and Wrexham Tennis Centre.

 Wrexham has enjoyed its fair share of headlines recently. Granted city status in 2022, it has also been given a good sprinkling of Hollywood stardust with Ryan Reynold’s and Rob McElhenney’s involvement in the football club and the fantastic Disney+ documentary following the club’s progress.

Tennis is also big in the city. Wrexham Tennis Centre, with its multitude of indoor and outdoor courts, is a landmark venue in the sport in Wales, and one of the largest public tennis centres in Great Britain. Its importance in the Welsh tennis landscape is underlined by the fact that this Spring will see it host two international junior tournaments, and the LTA Junior Welsh Open. More than 2,000 tennis players, coaches and family members will visit the city and compete.

With tennis at the forefront of people’s minds in Wrexham there will also be opportunities for schoolchildren and families to give tennis a go in a fun and friendly environment with a great team of coaches.

From 1-8 April, the Tennis Europe Junior Tour arrives in Wrexham. This tour has long been the platform of choice for the launch of a successful tennis career, and in recent times has heralded the arrival of top players such as Justine Henin, Roger Federer, Caroline Wozniacki, and Sir Andy Murray. More than 600 of the top 12U and 14U boys’ and girls’ competitors from across Europe will compete for international European ranking points, with players descending on the city from all corners of the continent.

Next up, from 8-16 April the focus shifts, with the LTA Junior Welsh Open for girls and boys aged 10 and under to 18 and under. The competition attracts the best junior players from across Great Britain, competing for LTA British ranking points and is the highest ranked junior tournament in Wales. It’s the place to see the next Evan Hoyt, or Mimi Xu – two of the most recognisable names in Welsh tennis in recent years.

During May, the city welcomes even more international players as the eyes of the world focus on Wrexham once more when the ITF World Junior Tour event takes place from 20-26 May. The ITF World Tennis Tour for juniors gives players aged 18 and under the opportunity to travel the world and develop their talent, compete for junior world ranking points and progress towards a career in tennis. The tour features 750 tournaments in 140 countries around the world. Welsh players will compete alongside the top juniors aged under 16 and under 18 in an action-packed week.

Tennis Wales Competitions and Event Manager Mark Lewis said: “These three tournaments demonstrate the pull that Wrexham Tennis Centre has in Wales, and around the world. Each tournament will be showcasing the best in junior tennis, with plenty of names to watch to go on to big things on the senior circuit. It’s a great platform for our Welsh players to compete at the highest level, and to showcase Wrexham as a tennis destination”.

Jonathan Miller, Health and Wellbeing Lead at Wrexham County Borough Council said: “Tennis is an important sport for us here in Wrexham. We have a great facility in Wrexham Tennis Centre which attracts high level tennis events such as these, but also plays an important role for local people, who access the facilities weekly to play, socialise, volunteer and work in the sport. Like Tennis Wales we want to open up tennis to everybody so they can enjoy this great sport, and the physical and mental well-being it brings.”

 

Player Focus: Who to look out for?

Chris Lewis, Head of Performance for Tennis Wales, talks through some of Wales’ top juniors likely to be competing this year;

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Niall Pickerd-Barua, aged 12 from Cardiff, is Wales’ current number one in the under-14 age-group and the reigning British under-12 National Champion. Niall won the singles and doubles events at the under-12 Tennis Europe event in Wrexham last year, and so will be returning this year to see how far he can go in the under-14 event. This will be his fourth European event of 2023 and he has a current under-14 European ranking of 288.

 

 

 

Awen Gwilym-Davies, aged 12 from Cardiff, is Wales’ top under-14 player and is seen as an excellent prospect for the future. She reached the semi-finals of singles and the final of doubles at the under-12 event this time last year in Wrexham and will be looking to make an impact in the under-14 event this year. She is currently ranked at number 290 in the European under-14 rankings.

 

Conor Flynn, aged 17 from Porth, is coming into this event off the back of his first ITF junior singles title which he won in Liverpool earlier this year. With a junior world ranking of 974 and growing in confidence at international events, Conor is a player who could do well at the ITF event in Wrexham in May and is a player to watch out for in the future.

 

Elizabeth Evans, aged 15 from Margam, will be targeting the ITF event as one she can progress to the latter stages of. A home event in Wales will be hugely welcome for her given that she is now competing all around GB and Europe on the domestic and international tournament circuits. Elizabeth reached the final of an ITF junior singles event for the first time earlier this year in Dublin and has earned a junior world ranking of 1185.

 

 

Tennis Wales recognise exceptional people, places and projects in Welsh Tennis  

The Tennis Wales Awards took place at the iconic Cardiff Arms Park last month.

Nominees, guests, sponsors, and VIPs celebrated the superb Welsh tennis community and were joined by guest speakers including Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Chair of Sport Wales and Welsh Rugby legend (and tennis fan), Ryan Jones MBE.

The annual event was sponsored and supported by Genero Group, Dragon Signs, Floodlighting and Electrical Services, Sport Wales and the LTA and was hosted by Speakeasy Club

The Winners

• Lifetime Achievement Award: Rosie Adams of Penallt Tennis Club
• Tennis Wales President’s Award: David Stillman MBE
• Adult Player of the Year Award: James Story
• Club Team of the Year Award: Cardiff Lawn Tennis Club Mens’ 1^st team
• Genero Team of the Year Award: South Wales Boys’ Under-14s County Team
• Junior Player of the Year Award: Mimi Xu
• Performance Coach of the Year Award: Luke Simeone of Swansea Tennis Centre
• Club of the Year Award: Bangor Tennis Club
• Official of the Year Award: Ben Coates
• Dragon Signs Development Coach of the Year Award: Mark Thomas from Bridgend Tennis & Squash Club
• Competition of the Year Award: Newport Live, Newport Tennis Centre
• Rising Star Award: Gethin Williams from Rhiwbina Tennis Club
• Volunteer of the Year: John Denton of Rhondda Tennis Club
• Floodlighting Electrical Services Connecting Communities Award: Urdd Gobaith Cymru
• Tennis for All Award: Caerphilly Tennis Club and Head Coach Jonathan Morgan
• School of the Year Award: Coryton Primary School