Wimbledon boys’ champion Henry Searle could be “fast-tracked” into senior tournaments after his success at SW19, says one of Britain’s leading coaches.
The victory will push him inside the top 10 of the world junior rankings.
“If you get top-10 then you get fast-tracked into some Challenger events – that’s a big incentive for us,” said Searle’s coach Morgan Phillips.
“Junior tennis is a massive platform going into the men’s game,” added Phillips, the head coach at the Lawn Tennis Association’s national academy in Loughborough.
“That’s what I’ve worked in for a good amount of years now – the transition from junior to men’s and making them understand the big journey that’s ahead.
“So there will be definitely an element of him going into the lower tier of professional tennis.”
After his win, Searle said it would be “extremely special” if he fulfils his goal of returning to Wimbledon as a men’s singles player in the future.
And the teenager – who hit a huge 134mph serve during his 6-4 6-4 final victory over fifth seed Yaroslav Demin, and did not drop a set all tournament – believes he is ready to make the step up.
“I think there’s the jump to the men’s game that needs to be done a little bit quicker – hopefully that can happen now,” said Searle.
“The plan is to still do my A-Levels. How easy that will be I don’t know, with all the travelling. But I’ll see what happens.”
‘Sky’s the limit for Searle’
Searle’s rise to stardom has been a rapid one – his victory at Wimbledon, which included beating world junior number one Juan Carlos Prado Angelo in the first round, was only his third junior Grand Slam.
He lost in the first round at SW19 last year but reached this year’s French Open quarter-finals before losing to eventual champion Dino Prizmic.
“I never had a doubt about his ability, especially after the French Open,” Phillips added.
“What we saw out there was very, very strong. The guy he lost to in the quarter-finals is going to be top-100 pretty soon in my opinion.
“So, for me, Henry was the second best player in that tournament. I think that gave us a lot of confidence.”
Searle’s success was no surprise to his coaches and peers at Wolverhampton Lawn Tennis and Squash Club, where he grew up playing the game.
“I started playing with him at seven, eight – and right from the start you knew he was going to be something special, he was the one who was going to push on,” fellow club player Max Walker said.
“He’s always been miles above the rest of us. I know I’m a bit biased but I think he’s got that special factor that could take him to the next level, he’ll be able to make that jump from the juniors to the seniors.”
Max Thomson, junior coordinator at the Wolverhampton club, said Searle’s modest nature would stand him in good stead for the future.
“When he’s back home, he’s so happy to come along to any of the sessions at the club and have a knock with any of the kids, help out – the kid is just magical,” Thomson told BBC Radio WM.
“He’s such a nice lad – you couldn’t find someone more humble. But as a player he’s unbelievable.
“I think the sky’s the limit for him and something has obviously clicked within the last six to 12 months.”
