Brighouse tennis starlet Holly inspired by Wimbledon experience

Holly, 13, who goes to Brighouse High School and lives in Brighouse, featured in the national finals at the Play Your Way to Wimbledon event, powered by Vodafone – the largest individual mass participation tennis competition in the UK.

Thousands of under-14s and under-18s players took part in the qualifying stages this year, leading to county and regional finals in June and July, with the winners progressing to the national finals on Wimbledon’s Aorangi Courts last week.

Holly, who described Roger Federer as her tennis idol, failed to progress to the latter stages of the tournament – but was still thrilled to be in attendance at Wimbledon and revealed it was an experience she will never forget.

She said: "It's incredible playing on the courts that the professionals have played on.

"My favourite moment this year at Wimbledon was when Rafael Nadal beat Taylor Fritz when he was so far down in the match tie break. It was crazy.

"I'm here to get some more great experience and to have fun and enjoy it. I've made lots of new friends and everyone's really nice. I love Roger Federer because he keeps really composed on the court and he's won loads."

The competition looks to inspire the next generation; allowing j unior players to follow in the footsteps of their heroes and compete for a chance to play at Wimbledon.

Formerly known as the Road to Wimbledon, the competition launched in March and is delivered in partnership by the LTA, The All England Lawn Tennis Club, and Vodafone. This year’s tournament will deliver over 10,000 playing opportunities across singles and doubles competitions in 800 venues.

Play Your Way to Wimbledon, powered by Vodafone, is a junior tournament that gives players an opportunity to follow in their heroes’ footsteps and compete on the grass courts at Wimbledon.

The All England Club and LTA are proud to partner with Vodafone to relaunch and expand the largest individual mass participation tennis competition in the UK – for more information visit wimbledon.com