Lewis’ Story

Lewis joined the EBAT academy in September 2014 at the age of 6.  He has always loved sports and it was not long before he was asking to increase his squads so he could spend more time with his new friends.

The coaching has been set to strike the right balance between having fun and teaching the players discipline and respect which is a great foundation not only for sports but for life in general.

He has formed a great passion for the sport and was thrilled to enter his first tournament after being with the academy for only a few months. Not long after turning 7 he was nominated by the academy to attend a county fun day which he followed up again 6 months later where he was then asked to attend the LTA Regional training camps, getting a day off school every 6-8 weeks to travel to Hertfordshire for the training.

Every year the academy have a Christmas party to celebrate the achievements of the players, it is a great occasion with parents, children and coaches getting together in a relaxed environment to have some fun. Lewis has been lucky enough to have received the best new player in his first year and more recently player of the year for the Academy. 

Nino and the team around him have lots of experience which they readily share with the children as well as providing many unique experiences such as the opportunity to attend a training session at the National Training Centre with Anne Keothavong and clay court training in London.
Last summer Lewis was given the fantastic opportunity to be a mascot in the men’s final at Queens where he went out on to court with Andy Murray as he won another Queens tournament. That was an unbelievable experience for a 7 year old and something he will never forget.

It is now coming up to 2 years since Lewis’s first day at the academy, his passion for the sport has increased and he is now training around 8 hours a week and regularly entering tournaments. The atmosphere at the academy and the support they provide has helped him to develop and become a more confident and outgoing child.