Bishops Wood tennis prodigy Megan Davies on court to success
Bishops Wood tennis prodigy Megan Davies will never be daunted by playing in front of packed crowds at Wimbledon – having already made two finals on the hallowed turf.
The 14-year-old joined former British No.1 Tim Henman in south west London on Saturday for the HSBC Road to Wimbledon National 14 and Under Challenge Finals.
And Davies, who is currently on a tennis scholarship at Stafford Sports College, made it all the way to the girls' singles and doubles finals before falling at the final hurdle.
Second seed Sophie Drakeford-Lewis was her conqueror in the singles event, with Davies going down 7-5, 6-2, before joining partner Josephine Hogg for a 6-2, 6-2 loss to Drakeford-Lewis and Ellie-Rose Griffiths on the doubles court.
"The HSBC Road to Wimbledon has been a great experience and it's just such a privilege to be playing on the grass courts at Wimbledon," said the youngster, who qualified for the tournament in SW19 as one of 20 runners-up having finished second in the Staffordshire County Finals.
"It was brilliant to get to the final as I wasn't expecting to be there and I played really well so I'm proud of myself.
"In the quarter-finals I actually had heat stroke and I went on to the court felling sick but thanks to the physio he helped me to cool down and I was really determined to play and to carry on.
"It was a dream to be playing at Wimbledon and it was great to have my family watching me in the final. I've never played a tournament on grass before so it was a great experience for me."
Davies, a product of the David Lloyd Dudley tennis academy, even got the chance to meet former British number one Tim Henman – an ambassador for HSBC, sponsor of the Road to Wimbledon – as he spent time with the players, signed autographs, and posed for photos with the finalists.
"The excitement of coming through the gates is still the same for me. It is the best tennis tournament in the world and it is a huge motivating factor for all the kids," said Henman, a four-time Wimbledon semi-finalist.
"You see them out here on the grass where the greats of the game played and it is inspiring and that is where Wimbledon plays a huge part in generating the sport's interest."
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
