Wem tennis hopeful is All for England
Teenage Wem tennis player Aimee Cooper will never forget her outing at the All England Club after starring in front of former British No 1 Tim Henman.
The 14-year-old Thomas Adams School pupil appeared in the Road to Wimbledon National 14 and under challenge finals.
Cooper booked her spot at SW19 by triumphing in the county finals and made it to the consolation ladder at the iconic venue before losing to Neha Kibria 4-6, 6-3, 8-10 in the first round.
Some 20,000 promising young players from all over Britain chased a place at Wimbledon, with Cooper among the top 144 boys and girls to reach the Nationals.
Cooper wasn't the only local presence – Shifnal's Alistair Bussey went down in the first round of the consolation ladder 6-2, 6-2.
Cooper, who trains at the Shrewsbury Club, said: "I thought I played alright in my matches but I was a bit rusty, because I only arrived back in the UK from Florida a day before my first game.
"It's a great experience and I really enjoyed it. Knowing that you're playing where your idols have played is quite impressive really.
"I wanted to enjoy it and maybe get a couple of sneaky wins along the way because it was the first year I've been here."
Cooper met tournament ambassador Henman at Wimbledon. And he was impressed by the finalists. He said: "It's great to see how the standard has improved."
The HSBC Road to Wimbledon National 14 & Under Challenge is the UK's largest national junior grass court tournament and forms part of HSBC's investment in the stars of the future.
