Monmouth tennis coach Chris Davis gives his thoughts after a Wimbledon fortnight that will live long in the memory

After 77 years, Britain now has its very own Wimbledon champion, Andy Murray, and doesn't he so richly deserve it?

His incredible talent, fierce determination, supreme physical ability and sheer courage and will to win have finally landed him the biggest prize in the world of tennis.

However, what makes that ultimate champion? Well, if we knew the answer to that it would be easy to produce one wouldn't it?

Interestingly, if you look at the top 50 players in the world, currently there are seven Frenchmen and nine Spanish players.

However, our one and only Briton in this elite group is the world number two and looks to be heading to the number one spot as the current Wimbledon and US Open champion.

Murray has proved himself to be a great champion and having reached the pinnacle of the game, will be very determined to stay at the top as long as he can and we can expect, barring injuries, many more great victories to follow.

Turning to the local tennis scene, I am delighted with its current state.

We have lots of young players in the area who love the sport and are keen to practice and work hard on court.

However, the greatest factor for me is that players of all abilities enjoy it.

Having fun on court with friends and family is a fantastic way to improve and become good at the game. Also, unlike some sports, you can play and enjoy tennis for many years and to use a popular sporting phrase, 'the more balls you hit the better player you will be'.

There are currently more than 100 young people between five and 18 years of age signed up to two and five-day tennis coaching opportunities in Monmouth this summer and if you are interested email [email protected]">[email protected] or ring 07791708052 for details.

Finally, how difficult is the game of tennis?

Over the next few weeks the Beacon's own Phil Wilkinson-Jones is going to take to the court and have a couple of lessons... and I can't wait to read his report.

Chris Davis

(LTA Senior Coach and Schools Tutor)