‘Speechless’ British schoolgirl, 15, just one win away from Wimbledon after fairytale qualifying run

6 months ago 80

A BRITISH schoolgirl is on the verge of playing at Wimbledon after a fairytale run.

Hannah Klugman, 15, is ranked 623^rd in the world and has picked up two wins in qualifying so far.

15-year-old British schoolgirl Hannah Klugman is on the verge of reaching Wimbledon[/caption]

She beat 28^th seed Linda Fruhvirtova in three sets yesterday.

And Klugman faces world No121 Alycia Parks later today, with victory sealing a place at Wimbledon next month.

Speaking after yesterday’s victory, the teen admitted she could not believe she is on the verge of the main tournament after competing at last year’s juniors.

Klugman said: “I am speechless. To get the win was really good, it was very emotional.”

The ace knows a thing or two about winning already, having triumphed at the Orange Bowl in Florida in December at the age of 14.

Should Klugman reach Wimbledon, she will be just eight days older than Coco Gauff was when she became the youngest modern-day qualifier aged 15 years and 122 days in 2019.

The south-west London native grew up less than two miles away from Wimbledon’s Centre Court, learning her trade at Westside Tennis Club.

Klugman added: “I was probably about three when I could actually hold a racket.

“My sisters used to play when I was younger so they brought me into the game.

“My mum used to play as well – still plays – and I used to hit with them on the side of the court.

What it's like to be a Wimbledon ball kid

By Alison Maloney

WHILE the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff and Andy Murray keep us entertained during this summer’s Championships, spare a thought for those unsung heroes that keep the tournament going.

Personal trainer Alex Crockford, now 33, served as a ball boy at Wimbledon in 2005 and 2006, and has lifted the lid to SunSport on what it’s really like.

“Standing still for hours is one of the toughest parts of being a ball boy,” he says.

“It’s quite strict and you don’t want to let your team down or feel like you’re doing a bad job.

“I remember one really hot day, I clearly hadn’t fuelled or hydrated myself appropriately.

“I did have a very faint moment, and started seeing blurry stars.

“There are six BBGs on the court and a captain, which was me, so I was standing to the left of the umpire chair and I was away from my water.

“I had to go outside of my position, get some water and re-balance myself before I could continue.”

Click here to read Alex’s ball boy story in full.

“It’s massively special. I’ve been here every year watching and for me to play here this year is insane.

“I literally live five minutes away.”

Wimbledon 2024 prize money

PRIZE MONEY for the 2024 Wimbledon Championships is a new record – and puts the grass-court Slam at the top of the tree.

The All England Club will dish out £50million across all the events – an increase of £5.3m and 11.9 per cent on last year, where singles champions Carlos Alcaraz and Marketa Vondrousova picked up £2.35m each.

However, the king and queen of grass this July will collect an extra £350,000 – taking the winner’s earnings to £2.7m.

Here is the breakdown for the 2024 Wimbledon singles prize money: