Friday, 16 January 2009

Tennis in Scotland is celebrating a fantastic start to 2009 with Andy Murray taking back-to-back titles, Jamie Baker returning to fitness and Gordon Reid confirmed as the world number one junior player in wheelchair tennis. Adding to the New Year cheer, sportscotland today announced an investment package of over £330,000 to develop the sport of tennis in Scotland.

The £334,188 investment will benefit the sport across the board, from increasing participation at grassroots level to supporting the development of the next generation of players who have the potential to succeed on the world stage. Two of the players who will benefit from the funding, Jamie Baker and Gordon Reid, are already making their mark. Jamie Baker, who is in action in the AEGON Pro-Series at Scotstoun, Glasgow this week, returns to the tour after battling illness last year. Jamie was Britain’s highest ranked singles player after Andy Murray and is being supported through Tennis Scotland and the Scottish Institute of Sport in a bid to regain his ranking.

In 2007 Gordon Reid became the youngest ever player to take a British senior title and he has gone from strength to strength on the wheelchair tennis circuit, culminating in his selection for the Paralympics in Beijing last year, the youngest tennis player ever selected. Although only 17 years old, Gordon has been set a target of reaching a senior International Tennis Federation (ITF) ranking of 25 for this year and is a real prospect for the Paralympics in 2012. Gordon will be supported in those aspirations by the investment from sportscotland.

Louise Martin CBE, Chair of sportscotland said: “At such an exciting time for Scottish Tennis, there is no shortage of inspiration for aspiring tennis players. Our investment of £334,188 announced today is designed to support Tennis Scotland’s development programmes to ensure that up and coming players are given the opportunity to participate in the sport and to develop to their full potential.

“The success of our tennis stars plays a huge part in encouraging more people to take up this exciting and dynamic sport. Andy and Jamie Murray continue to be trailblazers for Scottish Tennis and I wish them all the best of luck for the Australian Open next week.”

Chief Executive of Tennis Scotland David Marshall welcomed the investment: "Tennis in Scotland continues to punch above it's weight on the international stage. It is vital that we continue to capitalise on Andy's success, to raise the profile of our sport and the number of people playing in Scotland. Along with the LTA, sportscotland is integral to the continued development of tennis in Scotland and the funding we receive is absolutely crucial in ensuring the sport continues to thrive in Scotland. We thank them for their continued support and we look forward to the continuation of our long standing and mutually beneficial relationship."

Jamie Baker and doubles partner Chris Eaton will contest the AEGON Pro-Series Men’s doubles title today after knocking out the top seeds Colin Fleming and Ken Skupski in the semi-finals.

• In 2007/08 sportscotland invested over £11 million in 54 sports governing bodies
• The £334,188 investment in Tennis Scotland is made up of £138,000 from the sportscotland Lottery Fund and £196,188 from Scottish Government sportscotland funding.
• The Scottish Institute of Sport is the high performance arm of sportscotland.
• The AEGON Pro-Series tour event will take place at Scotstoun, Glasgow from 11-18 January 2009
• Great Britain’s Davis Cup tie against Ukraine takes place at Braehead Arena from 6-8 March 2009.
• The Australian Open takes place in Melbourne from 19 January to 1 February 2009.