There’s no place like Wimbledon for William Jansen who completed his second junior campaign at the All England Club.
Jansen, who trains at the LTA’s National Tennis Centre in Roehampton, played at the event 12 months ago and received a wildcard into the Boys’ Singles this year.
The 17-year-old Londoner started his campaign in fine style, beating Juan Carlos Prado Ángelo in straight sets for a first victory at the tournament.
And, despite being beaten by Belgium’s Gilles-Arnaud Bailly 6-4 6-3 in the second round, playing at SW19 is still a dream come true for him.
“I felt really good after winning the first match. It was absolutely amazing. To step on the courts here again is obviously an amazing feeling and I’m really grateful for that,” said Jansen, who secured himself a wildcard into the junior event at Wimbledon after finishing as runner-up in the LTA’s 18 & Under Junior National Championships in April.
“As a kid, I always used to come here. It’s the pinnacle of tennis and the best Slam, the best tournament of the year and so to play here is just absolutely amazing.
“As a Brit, to play in front of the British crowd, to get them going and having their support, it’s just outstanding and there’s no place like that in the world.
“I absolutely love grass. It’s my favourite surface by a mile. My highlight this year has been stepping on the court and playing Junior Wimbledon again, seeing all the people coming to support me, all my friends and family, it’s just a great atmosphere.”
There was undoubtedly a sense of disappointment for the teenager as his run came to an end, though he will not be resting on his laurels with a run of upcoming tournaments his next target.
“I didn’t feel great out there to be honest today. It wasn’t like my other matches – I’ve played 12 grass court matches in the space of a couple weeks,” Jansen added.
“Today it didn’t feel like I was serving well and he had a great backhand, he was going very flat into my forehand and I find that quite tricky to deal with.
“I’m moving onto the pro ITF circuit, so I’m going to play some tournaments starting next week in Roehampton. I’ve got five weeks of that planned and then I’ll take a bit of time off.”
For the latest action on the British summer grass court season, check out the LTA Website
