Make a difference.
Support Tennis First.
Tennis First exists to inspire the nation to pick up a racket and play tennis. We do this by helping support those children who we feel can go all the way and break inside the top 250 ATP/WTA ranking – creating stories that encourage many others to play.
Over the past 6 years the charity has distributed in excess of £1million in funding to more than 200 British juniors. The financial aid helps young players to develop their game and compete internationally.
Our Mission
Identify players with the attributes to succeed at a world-class level and provide financial support to help them reach our target measure of a professional world ranking of 250 or better, through our Grants Programme.
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Support selected tennis clubs & centres to deliver world-class 10U performance programmes through our Get Ready! initiative.
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Supporters
Ambassadors
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Katie hails from Woodhouse Eaves in Leicestershire. In March 2014 she was ranked the 10th best player in the ITF Junior world rankings, by which time she was also ranked within the top 800 in the seniors. She has established herself as a Billie Jean King Cup regular and in 2022 she claimed her first top 10 win at Eastbourne before reaching the third round at Wimbledon. She has start 2023 with a W60 title in Canberra.
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Liam followed sister Naomi into tennis and had a stellar junior career. He won the Boys’ Doubles at the 2010 Wimbledon and the 2012 Australian Open and was runner-up in the Boys’ Singles at Wimbledon in 2011. He finished his junior years with a No.2 high ranking in 2012. He broke into the ATP world’s top 200 in 2014, earning a wildcard into the 2015 Wimbledon Championships and went on to beat Australia’s Marinko Matosevic in the first round in a five-set thriller, and one which certainly put him centre stage in British tennis. In 2022 he was called up to represent Team GB at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games where he achieved the best win of his career against Hubert Hurkacz, he captained the Great British team at the ATP Cup and went on to qualify for the main draw of the Australian Open for the first time in his career.
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Naomi, who comes from Stockport in Cheshire, started playing tennis at the age of 7 and forged a successful junior career, becoming GB U18 champion in 2007. She turned professional the next year and at first progress was slow, but steady. By 2014 she was playing Caroline Wozniacki in the second round at Wimbledon and the following year she and her brother Liam became the first British mixed siblings to step on to the grass at Wimbledon in 37 years! Early in 2016, she qualified for Auckland and then beat former French champion Ana Ivanovic on her way to the semi-finals, helping her to a career high ranking of 76 later in the year. Naomi also compiled a top 100 doubles career, peaking at a ranking of 56.
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Jodie comes from Hindhead in Surrey, a scholarship to Talbot Heath School in Bournemouth enabled her to develop her tennis at the West Hants Club under the tutelage of Rob Booth and Rich Irwin. In 2021 Jodie represented Team GB in a Billie Jean King Cup Play-Off tie against Mexico at the National Tennis Centre. Jodie had a career best run at the 2022 W100 Ilkley Trophy before claiming a win over the fifth best player in the world at the time, Paula Badosa in Eastbourne. She started the 2023 season reaching the W60 singles event in Canberra.
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Andrew Castle is a former British No.1 tennis player, reaching a career high ATP world ranking of 80 in singles and 45 in doubles. He is one of the UK’s leading presenters, having spent 10 years on the GMTV sofa, and he is the lead commentator for the BBC’s coverage of The Championships, Wimbledon. He was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing and has often appeared on A Question of Sport. He has a regular tennis column in the Metro newspaper and is a regular host of Award Ceremonies.
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The left-hander had a successful junior career reaching the final of the Boys’ Junior Wimbledon event and achieved a career high ITF Junior ranking of No.7. Jack began his breakthrough year in 2022 by going 24-4 on ATP Challenger Tour, winning titles on indoor hard courts at Forli-2, Forli-4, Forli-5 and St. Brieuc. Jack then advanced to his 1st ATP Tour semi-final at Eastbourne as a wildcard, earned biggest win of career over No.5 Tsitsipas en route to Montreal quarter-final as qualifier and defeated No. 8 Auger-Aliassime to reach US Open third round. Jack was selected for his first Davis Cup tie in 2023.
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Tim Henman, OBE, won 11 ATP Tour singles titles and reached 6 Grand Slam semi finals. He reached a career high ranking of No.4 and was continuously in the top 20 ranked players over a five year period (1998-2003). Since his retirement Tim has been ever present in the Wimbledon commentary booth for the BBC; serves on the Committee of Management of The Championships, Wimbledon; and plays golf off a plus one handicap at Sunningdale.
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Anne Keothavong reached a career high WTA ranking of 48 in 2009. She was Great Britain’s leading female player and was the backbone of Britain’s Fed Cup team for a decade. She reached 7 semi finals of WTA Tour events and won 20 ITF titles. After retiring from tennis in 2013, she is setting out on a media career with BT Sport, who began their coverage of the WTA Tour in 2014.
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Joe Salisbury is a five-time Grand Slam champion, having won the 2020 Australian Open, the 2021 US Open and the 2022 US Open in men's doubles, partnering America’s Rajeev Ram. Salisbury has also won two mixed doubles titles, at the 2021 French Open and US Open alongside Desirae Krawczyk. He also finished runner-up at the 2021 Australian Open in men's doubles and the 2021 Wimbledon Championships in mixed doubles, with Ram and Harriet Dart respectively. In April 2022, Salisbury became the third British world No. 1 in either singles or doubles and has 12 ATP Tour titles to his name.