HE may have missed out on the chance to follow in Sir Andy Murray’s footsteps at Wimbledon this summer but Portland star Rhys Halcrow insists his tennis dreams still burn brightly.

Thomas Hardye pupil Halcrow, 13, had the chance to join him at the world-famous venue when he took part at last weekend’s HSBC Road to Wimbledon South West Regional Qualifier at the East Gloucestershire Club in Cheltenham.

Halcrow was playing for a spot at the National Finals of the HSBC Road to Wimbledon 14 & Under Challenge at the All England Club between August 14 and 19.

And, despite falling short of a memorable outing at the famous SW19 courts this time around, Halcrow, who trains at David Lloyd, Poole, is adamant we haven’t seen the last of him after losing out to James Findlay 7-6 6-7 10-7.

“It was a really close match and I thought he played well throughout. He just played a little bit better than me on the day,” he said.

“I made a few unforced errors on the big points, but since playing last year I have improved a lot. I have had a good run of results recently so I am not downhearted.

“I thought my net play was good, I tried to go in as much as possible and it worked out. I just need to control power, hit bigger shots and still get it in.”

The HSBC Road to Wimbledon National 14 & Under Challenge forms part of HSBC’s investment in grassroots tennis; an area of the sport the Official Banking Partner of The Championships has been supporting since 2008.

Each year over 10,000 youngsters take part in the series of national tennis tournaments, helping to inspire the next generation of Wimbledon stars to take their tennis careers from the back garden to Centre Court.

n HSBC is the Official Banking Partner of The Championships and is committed to supporting grassroots tennis, helping to inspire the next generation of Wimbledon stars to take their tennis careers from the back garden to Centre Court through the HSBC Road to Wimbledon 14 & Under Challenge. @HSBC_sport