Wimbledon junior champion Henry Searle brought TWO WEEKS back with both feet on the ground after securing the boys’ title at SW19 with a crushing defeat to Johannus Monday in the first round at M25 Roehampton
- Henry Searle won the boys’ title at SW19 at Wimbledon two weeks ago
- Searle became the first British winner of the title in over 60 years
- In his first match back, he was firmly beaten by Johannus on Monday
After his victory at junior Wimbledon and a VIP visit to his favorite football club, Henry Searle felt back on his feet on Tuesday.
On a blustery, almost autumn morning in Roehampton, he narrowly lost his first match back, in the hard school of the professional Futures circuit where it all begins for those aiming for the sun-drenched highlands of the ATP Tour.
Against Johannus Monday, one of the best players on the American college circuit and already a top 200 doubles player, the boys’ SW19 winner from just two weeks ago was beaten 7-6 3-6 6-3 in the first round of this week’s £20,000 tournament.
Although geographically close to the All England Club, it was a world away from Court Number One where thousands cheered him to beat Russia’s Yaroslav Demin in the boys’ final.
A handful of coaches and spectators lined up next to Court Six at the National Tennis Center, staffed by an umpire and a lone linesman. At this level, players are expected to pick up their own balls and, indeed, any balls straying from the simultaneous match immediately next door.
Henry Searle clinched the boys’ Wimbledon title last month by beating Yaroslav Demin in straight sets
A huge fan of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Searle was honored by the first team at the Sir Jack Hayward Training Ground
Searle, 17, has played a few and knew what to expect. He has deliberately tried to keep things down to earth since becoming the first homegrown boys’ champion at Wimbledon since 1962.
He’s back at the Wolverhampton Lawn Tennis Club, but mainly to train rather than party. His only taste of the high life was being invited to a more widely known local sporting institution, Wolverhampton Wanderers, which he ardently supports.
Manager Julen Lopetegui was particularly interested in how he plays left-handed, despite being right-handed in most things, much like Spain’s most celebrated player, Rafael Nadal.
“I met the team and staff and showed them around the training ground,” he said. “They were very welcoming and I met my favorite player, Pedro Neto, it was pretty cool. It seems that a few of them are interested in tennis.
“It was nice to be back home and back with my club and I enjoyed the company of friends and family. Life hasn’t changed and I want to keep it that way.’
Johannus Monday defeated Searle 7-6 3-6 6-3 in the latter’s first match since winning the boys’ title at Wimbledon
He understands there is little to be gained by basking in youth glory, and next week he will be in Aldershot for another professional tournament on the lowest rung of the tour.
At events like this he will face more experienced opponents such as Monday, a 21-year-old from Hull. Or George Loffhagen, playing on the neighboring field, who is back on the coal front after taking wild card entries at Eastbourne and Wimbledon.
Monday is another tall lefthander with a huge serve, who made the second round in last month’s Wimbledon double draw.
In difficult conditions they produced high quality tennis which bodes well for their prospects. Searle had to fend off a slew of break points, but he served for the first set 6-5 before losing the tiebreak 7-5.
“I’m trying to get better every day and we’ll see where that takes me,” says Searle, for whom the American university world is an option in his development. “It was tough today, but the more games I play at this level, the more I will get used to the higher level. Next week I have Aldershot, then it’s on to the US Open juniors. I will be playing a mix of juniors and futures events for the rest of the year. That was always the plan, and at the end we’ll see what we do from there.”