I used to attend once a week on a Friday after school. We would do 1 hour of group coaching followed by 1 hour of junior club night! We would play all year round, in any weather!

What other sports did you play when you were a junior?

I played a lot (and I mean a lot!) of football. Any opportunity to kick a ball around, I would! It was a race every break time/lunchtime in school to finish your dinner so that you could have longer to play football. I also did swimming, but it was mainly football and tennis.

What made you choose to become a coach?

From the age of around 16, I started gaining experience assisting other coaches, and started to really enjoy it. Then when I went out to Portugal to coach when I was 19, I realised that it was something I wanted to continue with.

What do you find the most enjoyable/rewarding aspect of coaching?

Seeing someone leaving a session with a smile! There’s no better feeling than knowing that someone has really enjoyed the session you’ve just done.

Who is your favourite player?

Andy Murray of course! I love his competitive attitude to everything he does. He’s a fighter. To this day, I often YouTube the first time he won Wimbledon. What a guy!

What is your favourite type of shot?

I have 2 answers to this one. The normal answer would be my backhand down the line. It’s a shot I’ve always enjoyed hitting and had a lot of success with in my playing days. But I do love a trick shot. You can’t go wrong with a reverse hot dog!!!

What is your favourite tennis related memory?

Again, I can’t choose between 2. The first would be when I won the Under 18’s Yorkshire Championships – that was a nice one to win.

The other one was when I was playing Under 18’s County Cup, and we needed to beat Surrey to win the event. I was up against a guy ranked 4th in the UK, and was not expected to win, but I smashed him 6-2 6-1. It was probably the best I’ve ever played in my life! I remember the feeling when I went up to the balcony to be with my teammates… it was a great feeling!

Which do you prefer: mixed doubles, men’s doubles or singles and why?

If you’d have asked me this a few years ago, it would have been singles all day long. I loved the battle of a singles match, with it just being you and your opponent. However, I would probably say it’s men’s doubles now. I really enjoy the social aspect of it.

If you weren’t a tennis coach, what would you be?

A Paramedic. It’s something I’ve always been interested in.

Tell us one thing about yourself that might surprise us…

I HATE broccoli!! In my opinion, there’s absolutely no place for it on any plate EVER!!!!

What are you ambitions for the future?

To keep enjoying what I’m doing. I think if you enjoy what you do, it’ll be successful.

And finally, what do you like the most about Pocklington Tennis Club?

Everything! Great facilities, great location, a great committee who want the club to progress, and a brilliant membership who support the club & coaching programme.

And the brilliant thing is that it is only going to get better – the future looks bright!