Teen tennis star wins Wimbledon qualifier wildcard

A 15-year-old rising tennis star has found herself just three matches away from a place at Wimbledon.

Daniella Britton, from Bournemouth, won the under 16s and under 18s national championships, which meant she was given a qualifying wildcard.

She will compete in a three-round knock-out tournament starting on 22 June, just one week prior to the championships.

"I just can't believe it, I haven't even played in a women's pro event yet," the teen said.

Speaking from the West Hants Tennis Club, where she grew up playing and proudly calls her second home, she said: "I'm just going to bring what I can do onto the court and see how it goes."

She said the thought of playing at Wimbledon was a childhood dream "especially for a British kid".

"You just want to aim for the stars and play those slams," Daniella said.

She will be hoping she can emulate one of her idols, seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic, who she said she has been fortunate enough to watch in the past.

She said: "Something about his presence on court, the way he just manages to deal with the pressures and expectations, it's something really to admire."

Daniella won a place at the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) national academy last year and said it had been "unbelievable", giving her everything she could need to push for a professional career.

She remains level-headed about the future and said she was just hoping to get through one round at her Wimbledon qualifier.

"I don't tend to look too far ahead, I want to take it one step at a time, keep it very realistic," she said.

Richard Irwin, head coach at West Hants tennis club, said he was "incredibly proud" of Daniella's achievement.

He said "she is the best" at the moment at her age level in this country and he had "no doubt that she's going to go out there and potentially surprise a few players".

Players outside the top 104 will compete in the qualifiers at the Community Sport Centre Roehampton in June with the hope of earning one of the 16 places available in the Wimbledon draw.

"I don't think there'll be many 15-year-olds in there, let alone British 15-year-olds in there, so she's playing against the best in the world," Irwin said.

He said it was great that the Dorset-based club had played a part in her journey, adding that "we'll support her going forward".