Cambridge Lawn Tennis Club duo Adam Lain and Alex Flory enjoy experience of playing at Wimbledon
Cambridge’s Adam Lain and Alex Flory may not have lifted silverware this week on the manicured lawns of Wimbledon – but they still enjoyed an unforgettable experience at SW19.
Flory, 29, and Lain, 25, who both train out of Cambridge Lawn Tennis Club, featured in the national finals at the Play Your Way to Wimbledon event, which is currently the largest individual mass participation tennis competition in the UK.
Thousands of 14 and under, 18 and under and adult players took part in the qualifying stages this year, leading to county and regional finals in June and July, with the winners progressing to the national finals on Wimbledon’s Aorangi Courts last week.
The pair made it to the final of the men’s doubles before falling short but despite their defeat, they reflected fondly on a memorable week.
Flory said: “It’s been awesome, the courts looked the best they could be in the nice weather and we were really lucky to miss out on the rain.
“Growing up we always tried to get in to Play Your Way to Wimbledon and I feel like to have the opportunity for older people to play in this sort of similar level and I’m really happy to hear they’re doing it for the wheelchair, visually impaired and learning disability players as well.”
Lain added: “I used to run this tournament for the juniors when I was a coach a few years ago
“I was very jealous when they got the opportunity to come and play at Wimbledon so now there is the men’s event I was so excited to have my turn.”
There was further Cambridge representation in the form of May Havard and Harry Voss.
Havard, who cites Emma Raducanu as her tennis idol, reached the knockout stages of the under-14 girls’ singles and despite ultimately falling short, she was still thrilled to attend Wimbledon and revealed it was an experience she will never forget.
She said: “It’s great being at Wimbledon. It’s fun, I enjoyed it. It’s like a tournament but there’s loads of other things too.
“I think I’ve learnt that it’s important we respect each other.
“I really like Raducanu. She’s a young player, she’s British and she’s going through all the things we’re going through. She is my favourite.
“I’d love to make it back here and play the real thing one day.”
Play Your Way to Wimbledon, powered by Vodafone, is the UK’s largest individual mass participation tennis competition that gives players an opportunity to follow in their heroes’ footsteps and compete at Wimbledon. The All England Club and LTA are proud to partner with Vodafone to expand the competition to more players in 2023 with an Adult Doubles pathway, alongside Visual Impairment, Learning Disability and Wheelchair tennis categories.
