Ask anyone about Henry Searle, the first British winner of the Wimbledon boys’ title in 61 years, and it’s never long before the words Wolverhampton Wanderers come to mind.
The club’s manager Julen Lopetegui sent a video of support to the 17-year-old ahead of the final and the club then tweeted their congratulations ‘from the whole pack’.
And as it turns out, the club played a part in his story from the moment a football-mad, wolf-crazy boy picked up a racket.
“He started with one of our coaches Amber Fellows, who now does toddler tennis here,” Marc Hughes, who has watched Searle play since he was two and a half years old, told Mail Sport, speaking from the Wolverhampton Lawn Tennis and Squash Club he manages .
“She recognized the talent in Henry. He was very coordinated, but he wasn’t sure if he was going to do football or tennis. Besides being a very good tennis player and coach, Amber was also captain of the Wolves women’s team. So she said let’s do half the football session and half the tennis session!
Henry Searle became the first British boys’ singles champion at Wimbledon since 1962
Searle is 6 feet 8 inches tall and his game is built around a formidable left serve, which peaked at 130 mph during the final
Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui sent a video of support to the 17-year-old before the final
“That was a key moment in Henry’s development. As time progressed, he decided that he would rather play tennis than football and started his journey with the club.
“What you saw in the final was a culmination of everything the coaches and the people here taught our juniors: work hard for every point, don’t give up.”
Searle’s isn’t one of those stories of a kid who was trained from birth by tennis-crazy parents and traveled the world supported by the family’s coffers.
His mother Emma is a social worker, the family had little tennis history and are not particularly well off – his subscription fees have been paid by the club for a number of years, as has their policy of promising juniors. His family moved to be closer to the club. They’ve had to “sacrifice a lot,” says Hughes.
At the age of 12, Searle moved alone to the Côte d’Azur to live and train at the prestigious academy of Patrick Mouratoglou, the former coach of Serena Williams. But he became disillusioned. “It wasn’t as good as claimed,” Hughes said. “Henry didn’t have the same coach during his journey, a lot of the focus was on some of the other players and not him. And he was far from home.’
Searle returned to Wolverhampton after nine months. He now trains at Loughborough National Academy, and the LTA is to be commended for his development, but above all this is a triumph for the local tennis club.
Passion for his sport, his club and his city echoes through Hughes’ voice as he says, ‘This is Henry’s second home. The club here values its juniors and I’m afraid not every club does.
Searle was passionately applauded by hometown support, self-titled ‘Henry’s Barmy Army’
“We are very proud of the diversity at the club. Wolverhampton is a tough city at the moment, not a lot of new business coming in, so as a not-for-profit club it’s really important for us to get everyone playing and enjoying their time together.
“Henry has been a great role model for the juniors. A boy from the neighborhood, a boy from the neighborhood, people think a lot about him here.’
That was abundantly clear on Sunday as a gang of Wolverhampton Searle club members roared to his straight-sets victory from the No1 Court stands wearing ‘Henry’s Barmy Army’ t-shirts.
And back at the club, the bar was packed. “We had 80 or 90 people watching,” Hughes said. “Ten years ago we did something similar before the final and there were more people here on Sunday than were here to watch Andy Murray win Wimbledon.
“A lot of people cringe when the pressure is on, Henry just grows. Whenever there was pressure, he delivered. That’s who he is.
“We owe a lot to his family because they are the ones who shaped that side of his development. A wonderful young man. We are all very proud of him.’
Searle now faces some big decisions. He is doing A Levels in History and Psychology at Loughborough and is unsure whether to turn pro or finish his studies.
Whenever he decides to take the plunge, former British number 1 and David Cup captain John Lloyd is confident he can make a splash.
Lloyd, commenting on Searle’s quarter, semi and final for the BBC, told Mail Sport: ‘He impressed me more with every match. When you look at juniors making the transition, you look at a lot of things. Attitude is huge and from what I’ve heard he’s very motivated.
Searle emulated Stanley Matthews’ son (right) by winning the Wimbledon Boys’ Singles for the first time since 1962
Searle will soon decide whether to turn pro immediately or complete his A levels
“Then you look at the guns and his serve is a bull’s eye. That will cause problems for everyone and he will get stronger once he wears off. He also hit some phenomenal drop shots on big points, a bit like Carlos Alcaraz did in the men’s final.
“But what was most impressive is how he handled big points. He served for the match yesterday, he serves for a Wimbledon title, the crowd goes crazy, he made it look easy in the biggest match of his life.
“Unless there are injuries, I can say categorically that he will make it to the pro tour. The numbers from there? If he continues his development, I think top 50 without a doubt.’
A danger, as always, is rising expectations and the very British penchant for whipping up our young athletes.
“He can handle it,” Lloyd said. ‘I don’t think he’s the kind of guy whose head will be turned away. He knows this is just the beginning of the journey.”