Are potential champions thwarted by second-rate service here?

IT SEEMS most tennis champs first set foot on court young.

If so, pupils in Derby are off to a good start.

Each week, dozens from Dale Primary, some as young as five, head to the nearby Derbyshire Tennis Association in Ashe Place.

They take part in coaching sessions for up to an hour at a time – and the most gifted pupils have extra tuition.

Head Linda Sullivan said it had been a long-standing arrangement that the school paid for tennis at the centre.

She said: "This is a planned programme that involves all pupils in all age ranges across the school. Those that show the most promise get extra coaching and we let their future secondary schools know, so that hopefully they can carry on playing.

"So far I am not aware that we have produced any champions – but we live in hope."

Centre manager John Price said that having the children playing each week was a boost for the centre, which has two indoor and four outdoor courts.

He said: "Tennis seems to be riding the recession quite well and remains as popular as ever. We operate on a pay-as-you-play basis, as well as having paying members.

"We regularly produce a number of people who win county tournaments and leagues."

Still, talent or not, the road to Wimbledon is long, arduous – and expensive.

Newly-published figures by the Association of Accounting Technicians estimate that to nurture a Wimbledon winner costs £2.5m.

The calculation was based on coaching a potential tennis star and entering tournaments from age five to 23 for men, 24 for women.

Jane Rushby, a coach at the Derbyshire Tennis Centre and at Church Broughton Tennis Club, thinks it highly unlikely that the county would produce a champion.

She said: "There are just so many factors that mitigate against it.

"The area is not served with indoor courts that are needed for all-year-round coaching, and we don't have enough outdoor courts to encourage large numbers of young people to take part.

"The Lawn Tennis Association is trying to make clubs more accessible and our coaches go into schools – but there is far more involved than that."

If the coaches in clubs or schools spot anyone with potential talent, they are likely to be invited to extra sessions.

After that, they may be referred to the association's talent identification officer, who will arrange for more stringent testing of players. This includes agility and athleticism as well as tennis ability.

Promising players will be encouraged to enter tournaments locally, regionally and at national level.

They will also be referred to one of the national training centres – the nearest is Tennis Midlands at Loughborough.

At 16, the best players would be directed to the national centre at Roehampton,

Mrs Rushby, whose son, Tom, played in a Wimbledon junior doubles semi-final with Andy Murray in 2003, said that despite this system, Britain was still not producing champions.

She said: "Once a child is spotted with talent, it is a question of finance and commitment by parents to take them to tournaments in Britain and abroad.

"If we could get more young people playing at a better level in this country, there would be no need to travel to enter tournaments.

"This is what happens in Spain, France and Germany, where there are many more indoor and outdoor courts, and they produce more champions.

"It's no coincidence that most of the British players who do well come from a comfortable middle-class background.

"But it is up to us to create good public facilities if we are to overcome the financial and social barriers and find champions."

Public tennis courts have disappeared from many of the county's parks, although a number of multi-use games areas at several Derby schools can be converted.

At Derby Moor Community Sports College, where there are 11 courts, tennis manager Richard Grey has recommended several pupils to the Derbyshire Tennis Centre. He said: "Several schools have formed a city league. Unfortunately, not all Derby secondary schools have tennis on their PE curriculum, and without it they will not have tennis nets up.

"You cannot even begin to build a tennis culture without the basics in place."

Historically, several tennis players with Derbyshire roots or links have played at Wimbledon. The last British man to reach a Wimbledon final was Henry "Bunny" Austin – a former pupil of Repton School – who lost out in 1938.

Since then Derbyshire's tennis claims to fame have included Ripley's Tony Pickard.

He was a former Davis Cup player before becoming a coach to Stefan Edberg, who won Wimbledon, and also coached Greg Rusedski in 1997-8.

Nick Fulwood, also from Derbyshire, was a former member of the Davis Cup team, as was Andrew Jarrett, of Belper.

He is now famous as the tournament referee at Wimbledon – and will be remembered as the man who closed the roof the first time.

This was far from the minds of youngsters and parents playing for fun at Markeaton Park in this week's fine weather.

Sarah Reynolds, of Maltby Close, Allestree, went to play tennis with son Jacob, eight.

She said: "We've been coming down here every night this week. It's been really busy."

Jacky Eaton, of Greenland Avenue, Mackworth, said: "I used to play years ago with my sister. Now I bring my family – we decided to come down after watching Andy Murray."

Tennis fans in Derby can watch the 2009 Wimbledon men's final on the BBC Big Screen tomorrow.

The University of Derby is hosting a tennis-themed family day, starting at noon in Market Place.