NANTWICH tennis starlet Robin Bloomer admits watching this year’s Wimbledon is made all the more difficult after he fell just short of strutting his stuff at the world famous venue.

As the likes of British No 1 Andy Murray show what they can do, Bloomer had the chance to follow suit as he competed in the HSBC Road to Wimbledon Northern Regional Qualifier at the Ilkley Tennis Club in Yorkshire.

The 13-year-old – who trains at Shrewsbury Tennis Club – was playing for a spot in August’s HSBC Road to Wimbledon 14 and Under Challenge at the All England Club.

However the Brine Leas High School pupil is adamant we haven’t seen the last of him after losing out to eventual finalist Peter Alam in the second round.

“It was a good day,” he said. “I didn’t play my best tennis but it was a good experience.

“I haven’t played much on grass courts before so it’s really good to get the chance here and hopefully it will help me improve for the future.

“This tournament is good because you get to play against some of the best players around.

“Tennis is a very difficult sport to get into, but of course I’d love to be a pro one day, and play at Wimbledon.

“Having that is a prize here is really exciting. It is high stakes but it makes us want to perform even more than usual.”

And, although Bloomer failed to advance to Wimbledon, former British No.1 Tim Henman believes he is still very much one to watch out for in the future.

“Players are always disappointed when they miss out on qualifying for the HSBC Road to Wimbledon National Final and a chance to play on the grass courts at Wimbledon,” said Henman.

Former British No 1 Tim Henman added: “Hopefully Robin will be spurred on to greater achievements in his junior career, and who knows maybe even to play at The Championships as a professional player in the future.”

The HSBC Road to Wimbledon National 14 & Under Challenge is the UK’s largest national junior grass court tournament and forms part of HSBC’s investment in the stars of the future.