Wrexham is set to welcome three national and international tennis competitions in the coming months supported by free ‘give it a go’ events.
The Tennis Europe Junior Tour – taking place at Wrexham Tennis Centre between April 1 to April 8 – is the first of three international tennis events taking place in the city.
Expecting to host over 600 players from across the globe, Wrexham represents the Welsh leg of the Europe-wide event series.
Now in its 33rd year, the Junior Tour has become the tournament of choice for the launch of many a successful tennis career. Perhaps most notably, the Junior Tour has heralded the arrival of world-class tennis players such as Justine Henin, Roger Federer, Caroline Wozniacki, and Sir Andy Murray.
Flying the flag for Wales, tennis prodigies Awen Gwilym-Davies and Niall Pickerd-Barua from Cardiff will be looking to ace the competition. Neither Awen nor Niall are strangers to international competition – with each of them competing at the renowned Junior Orange Bowl Championships in the USA last December.
Offering a further opportunity for players to compete at a high-performance level, April will also see Wrexham Tennis Centre host the highest-ranked tournament in Wales – the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) Junior Welsh Open (8 – 16 April).
Players from across the UK – under 10s category to under 18s – will have a chance to test out their drop shots and pick up some LTA British ranking points as they strive to become Wales’s top players; following the likes of 2021 Wimbledon Wildcard Mimi Xu and Welsh number 1 Evan Hoyt.
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The tennis tournament timeline continues into May as the international courts open once again, welcoming players from across the globe to Wrexham for the ITF World Junior Tour, from 20 – 26 May.
Tennis Wales Competitions and Event Manager Mark Lewis said: “Wrexham Tennis Centre is an important national, and international facility. The three upcoming tournaments, that will showcase the best in junior tennis, underline how Welsh tennis is thriving and continuing to contribute to local, national, and international sporting communities.
“We look forward to seeing many of the players at these events will go on to big things on the senior circuit.”
To further support and bolster the tennis scene within the local community – Tennis Wales, in partnership with Wrexham Tennis Centre and Wrexham Council will be hosting a series of free events later in the year, where children and families can pick up a racket and give tennis a go.
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With tennis fever sweeping across Wrexham, July 10 – 14 will mark a school roadshow where tennis will be taken into 10 schools across the city, giving around 1,000 schoolchildren the chance to try tennis.
Following the roadshow, Wrexham Tennis Centre will host an open day on July 15, where families will be able to enjoy fun-filled tennis activities for free. There are also plans for a pop-up tennis court to be installed in the city centre.
Jonathan Miller, Health and Wellbeing Lead at Wrexham Council said: "Playing tennis brings great physical and mental benefits and we believe, like Tennis Wales it’s important to ‘open up’ the sport to everybody.”
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