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A future Wimbledon champion in the making?
Tennis prodigy nominated for Pride in Bedford Young Achiever Award
Is this the future British champion of Wimbledon? Josh Sapwell, of Mersey Close, Flitwick, is only 13 years old but is one of the top junior tennis players in the country, having already won enough tournaments to fill his trophy cabinet twice.
Unlike most teenagers, Josh does not spend his days in the classroom, but rises each morning at 6.15am to start an intense fitness and training regime at Letchworth Sports and Tennis Club.
He said: "A normal day starts with a training session from 8-9am, then fitness for two hours, then we stretch, break for lunch, before another warm-up and another two- hour session.
"Sometimes at the weekend on a Sunday I get to relax and that's about it."
Josh, who has been training at Letchworth for three years, also manages to fit in private tuition around his tennis to keep him up to speed on his school work.
He met his tennis coach Neil Claxton at Flitwick Tennis Club and, in the ten years since, has developed into one of Britain's top junior players, showing great maturity to win the 12s Junior National Championship last August.
Josh said: "In the nationals I had never beaten the number one seed. I won the first set, was 3-0 up in the second and I got nervous.
"When you start losing something clicks, I tell myself that I can come back, but if I keep playing like I'm playing I will be two sets down so I have to change something.
"When you are 3-0 down in the third set it seems a big deficit but you tell yourself it's only 12 points and you are back on level terms.
"I imagined him lifting the trophy, he had beaten me three times and I could not bear to let him beat me again."
But his success has meant sacrifices for his parents Paul and Sarah and sister Lucy.
Mrs Sapwell said: "We don't go on holiday or renew the car and it's continuous, but the whole family helps out and gets behind him.
"I've done jobs I didn't expect to be doing, but you cannot have a regular job as such because one of us has to be around to take him to training or to tournaments."
Already able to serve at 100mph, with his own fitness coach and physio, Josh's schedule is unrelenting.
After playing tournaments in America for most of December, he returned home three days before Christmas but was back in training on the 27th, playing at the Bolton Grand Prix on the 28th and flew to Rome for another match on New Year's Day.
"I want to break into the top five in the world, that would be my first aim, then number one, but you can't be number one without making the top five," he said.
"I would also love to win Wimbledon and make the Olympics, maybe in 2012."
Josh has now been nominated for the Pride in Bedford Young Achiever award.
Simon Blincow, of Clophill Road, Maulden, who nominated him, said: "Kids like Josh deserve the highest recognition, his unrelenting commitment and passion to succeed is something I would love to see in every child, which could help put the great back in Great Britain."
There is still plenty of time to get your nominations in for Pride In Bedford's 11 categories, which include Child Of Courage, the Safer Community award, Adult Achiever, Service With A Smile award, the Pat Olney Leisure And Culture award, Winifred Fowler Service To The Community award, Living In Faith, the Hazel Mitchell Environmental award, Helping/Caring For Others.
To nominate someone for an award download a form from the easily-found section headed Pride in Bedford Awards 2009.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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