EDINBURGH tennis ace Emma Devine has received strong support from racket legend Tim Henman as she sets off later this week for a top overseas academy as a Wimbledon winner.
The Portobello youngster battled through 11 rounds without losing a set to triumph in the HSBC Road to Wimbledon under-14 tournament at the weekend – watched courtside by Henman, who said of her 6-4, 6-0 final victory over Surrey's Sophie Morrell: "
Emma played really well and going off to the Justine Henin academy will provide the type of experience that travelling abroad and seeing different competition can bring."
St Thomas of Aquins' pupil Emma has been selected to join an elite group formed by ex-world No.1 Henin and her coach Carlos Rodriguez starting on Friday.
Henman added: "This will provide more great learning for Emma."
Emma revealed that one of the secrets of her latest success was experimenting with a slightly heavier racket. "I was given the racket to try and it felt good. I'll try to keep using it," she said.
A total of 64 girls started out at Wimbledon after winning through regional qualifying rounds and Emma said: "The fact that this was the first time I had competed at Wimbledon made it really good.
"It probably was one of the best tournaments I have won especially as I didn't lose a set. It's a good way to set off for the Justine Henin Academy and I was pleased to see Tim Henman attending the finals. He congratulated me afterwards and said he hoped the win would help develop my tennis.
"It's exciting to be going off to Belgium and I hope it improves my tennis."
It is no secret that Laura Robson, recent winner of the Wimbledon Championships girls' event at 14 is the top Briton in her age-group.
But Henman was still able to provide words of encouragement to Emma in her bid to close the gap on a contemporary missing from last week's tournament.
Said Henman, who went on to become world No.4 besides winning 11 ATP tournaments and reaching six Grand Slam semi-finals: "Everyone develops at a different pace and I am a good case in point.
"Although I was playing tournaments aged 11 or 12 I did not really develop physically until later. I was always working on my game so that when I became stronger it helped when I was 17 or 18."
Praising the Craiglockhart facility in Edinburgh which launched Emma's career to the stage where her parents, Kenny and Kathy, now feel she needs more intensive competition that a trip to the Henin Academy in Belgium can provide, Henman said: "I have fond memories of travelling to Craiglockhart to play in under-12 and under-14 events." Henman, 33, was at Wimbledon to present Emma with a training bursary on behalf of HSBC.
Insisting that standards continued to rise in British grassroots tennis, he said: "The game has changed so much at junior level even since I started out.
"Everybody will be a little bit difference in the way they approach their careers.
"Andy Murray left Scotland for Spain and it worked well for him whereas I stayed on at school before working (full-time) with the LTA aged 17.
"At the end of the day it is about developing your game for the biggest stage and I have seen plenty of dedication while the standard gets better and better through involvement with the HSBC Road to Wimbledon event. British Tennis is gaining momentum now.
"Competitions like the HSBC Road to Wimbledon are a fantastic way to help nurture British tennis. They supported me through much of my career and, having participated in their schools events as a junior myself, it's brilliant to come full circle and work with HSBC to put something back into the game I love."
Meanwhile, Emma is expected to make a flying visit home soon after joining the Henin/Rodriguez Academy to fulfil a commitment to represent Scotland in an international event.
The full article contains 685 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
