Highgate young star Tomasson plays in front of Tim Henman at Wimbledon

Highgate youngster Ingimar Tomasson says his Wimbledon experience will inspire him to new heights after playing in front of Tim Henman at the All England Club.

The 14-year-old, a student at Highgate School, came through the regional tournament – contested by 20,000 boys and girls from around the country – to reach the HSBC Road to Wimbledon national 14-and-under challenge finals.

Although Tomasson was knocked out in the first round of the boys’ consolation draw, he feels he gained enormously just from playing at the world-famous SW19 venue.

“It was fantastic to play on such excellent grass courts as it creates better tennis when people have to react quicker and go for better shots,” said Tomasson.

“I want to take tennis as far as I can and would love to win the French Open one day because, even though I like grass, clay is my favourite surface.”

Tomasson, along with the other competitors at the finals, got to meet former British no 1 and four-time Wimbledon semi-finalist Henman, who is the tournament ambassador.

“I’ve been involved for the 12 years of the programme and it’s fantastic to see how the standard has improved,” said Henman.

“There are kids that are going to want to play tournaments and compete at a higher level and this is a great stepping stone, to have this experience and learn from the match-play and competition.

“You talk about the mental side of things, and it’s that application, going out there and giving 100 per cent – those types of values will get you a long way in life.”

The HSBC Road to Wimbledon national 14-and-under challenge is the UK’s largest national junior grass court tournament and forms part of HSBC’s investment in the stars of the future. Visit www.hsbcroadtowimbledon.com for more information.