Tennis ace inspires students at charity session

Henry Searle paid a visit to an event led by the Wolves Foundation, to help inspire young students

Junior Wimbledon champion Henry Searle put his sporting skills to the test and inspired a group of students at a football charity's event.

Searle, who was born and brought up in Wolverhampton, visited Wolverhampton Wanderers' official charity, the Wolves Foundation, at one of their sessions at the Aldersley Arena.

The 19-year-old joined in with various skill-related activities focused on football and tennis with students from Our Lady & St Chad Catholic Academy and the Royal School.

"It's always good for young people to have access to sporting activities and hopefully pick up some inspiration to do something that they love," Searle said.

He also took part in a Q&A session with students, championing the values of hard work and resilience, the importance of making sacrifices and the support of family and friends in helping him pursue his sporting dream.

"It was a fun afternoon taking part in some activities with a bit of tennis integration," he said.

"It was nice to hopefully have an impact and try and inspire the students and motivate them to follow their dreams."

Henry Searle became an ambassador for the Wolves Foundation earlier this year

Searle, who attended St Peter's Collegiate Academy, grew up playing tennis at the Wolverhampton Lawn Tennis & Squash Club, situated next to Wolves' Compton Park training ground.

He burst onto the national stage with his triumph at Wimbledon in 2023, becoming the first young Brit to lift the Boys' Singles title since Stanley Matthews 61 years previously.

He has since moved into the senior ranks and is currently ranked at 386 in the ATP Tour rankings for men's singles.

Searle became an ambassador of Wolves Foundation earlier this summer.

"Coming back to Aldersley is quite cool because I used to play football for the academy for a few years and would come here regularly in the evenings for training sessions," he said.

"Wolverhampton is home for me and it's always amazing to come back."