The Islander will make his Grand Slam debut alongside fellow Brit James Ward in the first round of the men’s doubles later this month, and there is also hope that he will reach the men’s singles draw, having been offered a spot in next week’s qualifying tournament.
The 23-year-old, a singles specialist ranked 573 in the world, said: ‘I feels amazing. It was one of my dreams to play at Wimbledon and for that to come true; it’s pretty exciting.
‘Obviously my focus is more on singles because I don’t play doubles that much. I knew I would be in the mix for a wildcard for singles qualifying and I’ve been preparing for that. Hopefully I can string a couple of good performances together and make the main draw for the singles as well. That would be more of a dream come true.’
The multiple Island Games gold medallist, who claimed two ITF Futures Tour titles in Tunisia earlier this year, was beaten by Spaniard Bernabe Zapata Miralles in the opening round of singles qualifying for the Queen’s Club Championships, but he says that experience will prove invaluable.
‘Even though I lost 6-3 6-4 there were a lot of tight games,’ he said.
‘It was great for me to see the level I need to be at. I think I was nearly the same as him and he’s ranked around 126 in the world. He just had more experience. When I play in the Wimbledon qualifiers next week I’ll make sure I stay aggressive when it gets tight.’
Full story in Friday’s JEP.
