With Wimbledon well and truly under way Tennis for Free, in partnership with Epsom and Ewell Borough Council, is hoping to find a new Andy Murray.

They are staging a free tennis competition, coaching clinic and tournament on Sunday (June 28) at Court Recreation Ground in Epsom.

The Pound Lane courts will play host to the event which forms part of National Tennis Day and will take place between 1pm and 4pm on the day.

National Tennis Day is being organised by Registro Profesional de Tenis (RPT) Europe’s biggest tennis coaching organisation, the system that coached both Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.

It wants to get more people playing and its “Grow the Game” initiative is investing £500,000 in finding 1,500 new coaches and 500,000 new players throughout the UK. National Tennis Day is just one event to create 10,000 new tennis players in one day.

Tennis for Free is one of over 200 clubs, organisations and schools across the UK holding events to attract people to the game and address its decline; the tennis population has dwindled overall by 50 per cent in the last ten years and by 60 per cent in the under 16 category.

Councillor Clive Woodbridge, chairman of the leisure committee at Epsom and Ewell Borough Council, said: “This event will hopefully help attract more new players, of all ages, to the game. Tennis for Free, has been a tremendous success with its regular coaching sessions at both Pound Lane and Alexandra Recreation Ground and we are pleased to support this latest initiative to help build on the achievements that have been made."

Paul Jessop, chief executive of Tennis for Free, added: “It is a great opportunity for new players, especially youngsters to have a go. During the day there will be a tennis ‘hotshots’ tournament, a coaching clinic and other games and events.

“Not all tennis clubs are wealthy and we need to look towards the long-term. The game has declined and we need to gain more interest to safeguard the future of so many tennis clubs.

"A National Tennis Day with lots of co-ordinated events with one sole objective will hopefully bring more people into the game.”

For more information about Tennis For Free and the National Tennis Day, contact Paul Jessop - 0870 011 3733 (paul@tennisforfree.com) Neil Kapoor, (head coach for Tennis for Free in Epsom) - 07968 089090 (neil18@tiscali.co.uk), or Epsom and Ewell Borough Council’s leisure developments team – 01372 732000 (leisuredevelopmentsteam@epsom-ewell.gov.uk)



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