Leonard Phillips diary 0109

A NINETY-year-old tennis player from Medmenham has won an international masters tennis championship against competitors in an age group below him.

Leonard Phillips came away as singles champion in the under-85s category of the British Open Masters Grass Court Championships held in Eastbourne last weekend.

Mr Phillips, who took up tennis in his 40s, was put in the category after there were no players in the over-90s age division. He won the tournament without losing any sets.

The event is a part of the ITF World Tennis International Masters Tour, and Mr Phillips came away with first place after beating the other two competitors in his age category in a round robin-style tournament.

Mr Phillips beat British players Richard Ramsden, age 86, 6-3, 6-2 and William Chamberlain, age 85, 6-1, 6-1.

He was the only player at the tournament, which started at the over-30s, who was a winner in an event below their actual age group.

Mr Phillips currently plays tennis six or seven times a week at a number of courts in the area, including Hambleden, Gerrards Cross and Bisham Abbey.

He said: “Eastbourne’s a very big international tournament. I felt fantastic because playing in a lower age group is a huge difference and very rare.”

It is not the first time that Mr Phillips, a retired company director, has competed in a category below his age.

At the beginning of August, at the Weybridge championships of the International Masters Tour, he made it to the over-85s final, losing to Michael Potter, who won the third set in a tie-break.

Last year, he won Wimbledon in the over-90s singles in the Grass Court tennis championship and then played in the over-85 category after there was no over-90s category. He ended up reaching the quarter-finals of the competition having won his first match 6-1, 6-0.

Mr Phillips said he first decided to take up tennis after watching American John McEnroe and Swede Björn Borg go head to head in the late Seventies and early Eighties.

Borg won 66 singles titles during his career, including 11 majors. This included six at the French Open and five consecutively at Wimbledon.

Mr Phillips said: “I took up tennis in my sort of mid to late 40s on a really passionate level. I played for the county when I was in my 70s, and I played for GB in my 80s.” He said: “I was mad about it when I was watching Björn Borg play McEnroe. He was my hero, so I thought, ‘well, I must do what he does’ and I took up tennis in a semi-professional manner.

”I used to play for about 10, 15 years, three or four times a week because I was working. But now it’s a daily passion.”

He said the secret to staying active was practising his sport regularly and getting out in the fresh air.

Mr Phillips said: “We have a small farm. I do a lot of walking with the animals, I hand-feed the goats and sheep and we have an outdoor life that keeps me fit as well.” Mr Phillips is married to his wife Suzanne, who teaches pottery, and the couple are celebrating their golden wedding anniversary this year.

He worked for a number of property companies in London throughout his career and the couple have lived in Medmenham for more than 50 years.

While he was pleased with his success, Mr Phillips said that recognition needed to go toward his wife.

He said: “She’s the cleverest and best gardener in the world. I’ll tell you, she would win world titles.”