Fundraiser set up to help young tennis star from Hampton Magna continue his dream
Ferran Redza, who is 17, has been playing tennis competitively since he was five years old.
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Hide AdHe is a member of the Leamington Lawn Tennis and Squash Club, where he recently retained the club's 2024 men's singles and men's doubles title.
Ferran’s passion for tennis has led him to set his sights on going to a college in the US on a tennis scholarship and then becoming a professional player.
However, the cost of realising his dream is a limiting factor.
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Hide AdFerran said: “My long-term ambition has always been to compete in Junior Wimbledon.
"It has always been my dream to compete at this level and I feel like I am almost there and these goals are achievable with the right support.
"Currently, I compete in the junior international tournaments.
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Hide Ad"My parents have been financing throughout my tennis journey and we are at the stage where we need additional support especially as tennis is one of the most expensive sports.
"Travel, coaching, fitness and nutrition are all necessary costs which will increase as I would need to compete more to improve my international rankings.
"With some good performances, I am confident of getting in to the main draw of the Grand Slam and achieving one of my dreams.”
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Hide AdFerran and his family anticipate that his tennis involvement next year – including tournaments and coaching – will cost around £32,000.
He is currently sponsored by Wilson UK for all of his rackets, strings, bags and shoes and has been since 2020.
To help with the costs, Ferran and his mother Fifi set up a GoFundMe page.
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Hide AdFifi said: “We have been self funding throughout his tennis journey and have not done anything like this before but without the necessary funds, we would not be able to provide him to meet his ambitions.
"He is a quietly determined person and will be grateful for anything that we could provide him.
"We know that he has been wanting this chance for a long time and we believe he is capable to push himself to achieve it.
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Hide Ad“We have seen Ferran work and sacrifice a lot for his tennis dreams since he was little and it will be such an amazing achievement if he could make it to the Junior Wimbledon.
"It is going to be tough but with the right support especially financially we are confident it will put a boost of confidence in him that there are a lot of people backing him.”
Gary Naughton, Ferran’s coach, who is based at the University of Warwick Tennis Centre, added: “17 year old Ferran Redza is one of Britain’s highest ranked player (seventh) in his year group.
"He is a player with a huge amount of natural ability and massive potential.
"He possesses the necessary tactical, technical, physical and mental attributes to succeed at the game’s highest level.
“He has an unrivalled work ethic, a huge love of the game and the hunger to succeed.
“However, tennis is an expensive sport that also requires commitment and dedication from parents, coaches and of course the player which we have in abundance but without the resources to facilitate Ferran’s talent and ambition we will not be able to realise his true potential."
So far more than £3,500 has been raised – with donations coming from the public, Leamington Lawn Tennis and Squash Club and from Budbrooke Consolidated Charities.
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Hide AdSara French, manager at Leamington Lawn Tennis and Squash Club, said: “The club is incredibly proud of what Ferran has achieved so far and we are excited to support him as he continues to work hard towards his goal of becoming a professional tennis player.
"We're also thrilled that Ferran has decided to volunteer his spare time – when he's not competing in tournaments or studying – to assist with the club's extensive adult and junior coaching programmes.”
To donate to the fundraising page go to: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ferran-redza-international-and-national-junior-tennis-player