Salinas and Botterill team up at Wimbledon

HENLEY’S Lottie Botterill and Laura Salinas may not have lifted silverware this week on the lawns of Wimbledon, but they still enjoyed an unforgettable experience at SW19.

Botterill, 21, and Salinas, 46, both made the trip to the capital to feature in the national finals at the Play Your Way to Wimbledon event, powered by Vodafone in what is the largest individual mass participation tennis competition in the UK.

This year saw the competition open up to more players, with three
disability events split between visual impairment, learning disability and wheelchair tennis categories, as well as an adult doubles pathway.

The pair were unable to reach the latter stages of the women’s doubles event, but they were still thrilled to attend Wimbledon and revealed it was an
experience they will never forget.

Botterill said: “It is honestly a dream I’ve been so excited and quite literally counting down the days.

“My family really proud and they know I love tennis.

“They’re following all the tennis and Wimbledon and they can’t believe it, I can’t either.”

Salinas added: “We’re over the moon, it’s a dream come true just to be here, just to display here is amazing.

“Normally I try to come every year, I was here just a few weeks ago watching the pros so it’s amazing to be using the same facilities that they use. I wish I could learn more from what I saw.”

The competition looks to inspire the next generation of tennis talent, allowing junior players to follow in the footsteps of their heroes and compete for a chance to play on Wimbledon’s iconic courts.

Formerly known as the Road to Wimbledon, the competition launched in March and is delivered in partnership by the LTA, The All England Lawn
Tennis Club, and Vodafone.

This year’s tournament will deliver more than 10,000 playing opportunities across singles and doubles competitions in 800 venues.

Former British No.1 Laura Robson was in attendance to cheer on the youngsters at SW19 and offer her experience and advice.

She said: “It’s just so cool to get the chance to play on these courts at Wimbledon. I still get a buzz every time I walk out there, so I can’t imagine how they’re feeling.

“I played Road to Wimbledon when I was much younger and I’m still friends with some of the people that I played against.

“It’s amazing to see how much it’s grown over the years and with the new categories this year it’s bigger and better.

“Growing the game involves letting people enjoy themselves on court and letting themselves have as much fun as possible so they want to come back and do it all over again next year.”