An LTA Regional Player Development Centre (RPDC) at Dukes Meadow in Chiswick is celebrating success after two of its most promising young players were selected for the national tennis academies in Stirling and Loughborough.

Kai Luca-Ampaw and Oli Bonding are two of four players chosen by the LTA, the national governing body for tennis in Britain, to join its full-time residential training centres and both will begin training from September.

The teenagers will are part of the second new intake for the centres, based in Stirling and Loughborough, which opened in September 2019 and provide world class coaching, science, medicine, and welfare support for high potential players aged 13 to 18, alongside an excellent mainstream education up to at least GCSE-level.

Kai (14, from Kew) and Oli (13, from Wimbledon) have trained at Dukes Meadows since 2018, working closely with coach Alastair Filmer and strength and conditioning coach Ollie Fawls. The academy was chosen to become one of 12 LTA Regional Player Development Centres in 2018 as part of the governing body’s new Player Pathway and performance strategy.

The RPDCs provide high-quality training environments to support high potential junior players aged 10-14, and the right coaching and athletic development for those aiming to progress to the National Academies. The LTA has also announced the opening of two new RPDCs at Edgbaston Priory and West Hants tennis centres, as it doubles investment into RPDCs to significantly reduce costs to players and families.

Kai, Oli and the two other players selected for National Academies were all previously based at RPDCs, and their selection represents their progression onto the next stage of the LTA Player Pathway. The Pathway provides a clear route for high potential players to develop from playing local junior tournaments right through to major professional competition.

Oli Bonding said: “I am so grateful to the LTA for this opportunity. I look forward to working with the all the brilliant coaches in Loughborough – especially Nick Cavaday and Louis Cayer – and training with some of the best players in Britain. Alastair Filmer at the RPDC at Dukes Meadow has been a huge help in my development and I will always remember him as one of my funniest and favorite coaches. Also I would like to thank my S&C coach Ollie Fawles who has also helped my progress, especially when I was injured in the Autumn.”

Kai Luca-Ampaw said: “I am really excited about this opportunity and I am looking forward to the new experiences in Scotland. It is thanks to the support and hard work from my team at the RPDC at Dukes Meadows that I have been able to improve my game enough to be selected for the Academy and I am very grateful for that.”

Ian Yates, LTA Head of National Performance Pathway, said: “I would like to congratulate Kai and Oli on their selection, as well as Ali and the team at Dukes Meadows who have been pivotal in both players’ development. The fact that all four players joining our academies this year have come from our Regional Player Development is very encouraging, and an early indication that the Player Pathway is working. The pathway is designed to provide a seamless route for high potential players to progress from junior tournaments to the professional game, and it is very pleasing to see a successful link between two stages on that journey.”

For more information about the LTA Player Pathway and ten-year Performance Strategy, visit www.lta.org.uk/player-pathway-overview.