I recently sent an email about the LTA Tennis Awards and I thank everyone who has nominated me for the Development Coach of Year but there is now the opportunity to vote for YOUR club!

The awards celebrate the many thousands of inspirational individuals involved in tennis, dedicating their precious time and energy to the continual development and growth of the sport. Over the past eight years, the awards have illustrated the depth of service and talent within the tennis community across Britain and served as an inspiration to others to volunteer, coach, officiate or to play tennis.
Our club is amazing and has been attracting loads of attention during this year, as membership levels are at a record high since the club was started 100 years ago.

So, what makes this club so special?

Our club provides a unique combination of social engagement, physical activity, and a sense of community for its members. We have a vast range of ages and abilities playing, from Phyllis' group on a Wednesday morning with sociable adult doubles taking up most courts, through to Coach Richards parent and toddler group on a Saturday morning. We have regular club sessions for adults and juniors, teams in local leagues, one of the best coaching programmes in the country, well-maintained courts with 2 indoors in the winter, regular competitions, and social events. 

But with all of this, the special nature of our club lies in the players and parents that share a passion for the sport, fostering friendships, sportsmanship, and a healthy lifestyle.

This club has helped so many people in so many ways and studies have shown that by playing tennis regularly can add nearly 10 years to one's life, surpassing other sports and activities in terms of health benefits, including badminton, soccer, cycling, swimming, and jogging. It truly is a 'Sport for a lifetime' but this is only possible if we have a great place to play.

If you feel as passionate about our club as I do and would like to nominate it for 'LTA Club of the Year', then please click here https://www.lta.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/lta-tennis-awards/ and take the time to complete the form.

In November Great Britain will be competing in Malaga, Spain, for the Davis Cup, but what is the Davis Cup and the connection with the Club ? 

The Davis Cup is an international men's tennis competition that was first held in 1900. It's often referred to as the "World Cup of Tennis." Teams from various countries compete in a knockout format, and the event is held annually. The competition was originally conceived by Dwight F. Davis, who also donated the original trophy. Over the years, the format and structure of the competition has evolved, but it remains one of the most prestigious team events in men's tennis.

Great Britain has a storied history in the Davis Cup, dating back to the early years of the competition as we played in the inaugural Davis Cup in 1900 and quickly became one of the dominant teams. Great Britain has won the Davis Cup 10 times with victories in 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1912, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, and more recently in 2015. The 2015 win was particularly notable because it ended a 79-year title drought with the British team defeating Belgium in the final. The team were led by Sir Andy Murray and his performance throughout that year's competition was instrumental in winning the title.

Great Britain has participated in the Davis Cup almost every year since its inception, making us one of the competition's most regular contenders while developing some close rivalries with several countries, including the USA and Australia, which have also been historically dominant in the competition.

Great Britain has a rich tradition in the Davis Cup, with a history of both early dominance and recent resurgence. On 17th September, we qualified for this year’s finals with Dan Evans and Neal Skupski saving 4 match points in the deciding doubles to defeat France. Having qualified for the finals with 8 other teams, we will face Serbia in the first match on 23rd November.

This Sunday, 1st October, we are going to have our own taste of the Davis Cup at Stony Stratford Tennis Club with former GB players, Danny Sapsford and Luke Milligan, coming to spend the day with us. This event is open to anyone to come along and we will be fund raising to help support underprivileged children to get into tennis and benefit from the sport.

Danny and Luke are running coaching clinics, which anyone can book onto by clicking here and these sessions are for beginners through to advanced players, which will be a real treat to get some tips and advice from these former pro players.

There will also be an exhibition match at 2pm with Danny and Luke pairing up with Team Stony Tennis coaches, Richard and Phil. Everyone is welcome to come and watch what will be a fantastic spectacle! A BBQ serving burgers and hot dogs will run from 12-2pm and drinks are available.

It’s rare we have these great events at the club and I hope that as many of you as possible can come and enjoy the day to support the club’s ambitions and hopefully we can raise some money for a good cause while having fun.

On Sunday 1st October, we have two former British Davis Cup Players, Danny Sapsford (former World 170) and Luke Milligan (former World 217) joining us at the club from 10am to 3pm.
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They are excited to visit the club and run several coaching clinics for various groups. All money raised from the sessions will go towards helping underprivileged kids get into tennis and benefit from the mental, social, physical and emotional help tennis gives.

Click here to book

EVERYONE IS WELCOME TO JOIN THE CLINICS OR COME & WATCH

BBQ & BAR OPEN FROM 12PM

DOUBLES EXHIBITION MATCH AT 2PM

Places for the clinics will be limited and on a first come, first served basis as below:
10-10.45am Ages 5-10 - £7.50
10.45-11.30am Age 11-16 - £7.50
11.30am-12.30pm Adult Club Players - £10
12.30-1.30pm Adult Team Players - £10
2-2.40pm Doubles Exhibition Match
2.40-3pm You can partner with Danny or Luke!