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september 2026 NEWSLETTER
Ready for another year?
Inspired by Judy Murray's frustrations earlier this summer!: A comprehensive look at how the best tennis nations manage the development of their junior players, compared to how we are doing it in Great Britain, and MUCH MORE. Do be advised that this is the longest article I've ever written, but with a disproportionately very short conclusion!
A record breaking Summer Tournament!: A big thank-you to all the players and their families that helped make it another memorable and highly successful Summer Tournament. To those who didn't make it, I know you would have been there if you could.
We had a record 74 entries, and a full day of fantastic tennis. We also got very lucky with the weather, a nice mid-20's sunny day rather than one of the many 30+ ones! I'm NOT COMPLAINING by the way, best summer ever!
Anyway, the Hawker family vibe was in full swing for the full 12 hours of play on the day, and as usual so much great tennis to watch. Check the 'Tournaments' page for full results.
Individual successes: Tournament wins for players involved at Hawker have been coming steadily all summer long, leaving us tracking towards our best year ever for tournament wins!
The stand-out victory was Sophie being crowned U18 Doubles Surrey Champion! She did it in style, entering without a partner, and getting paired with the lovely Lilly who's a really solid player. They were unseeded, unfancied, and yet worked their way through the draw impressively. They won their 1/4 final 4-3 4-3, and then narrowly beat the pair who knocked out the top seeds and included the U18 girls singles champion. That was the semi-final 4-0 3-4 (10-8). The final was umpired and full sets, and the girls again had a fast start before holding it together to take a tight 2nd set. 6-2 7-6 the final score against a team who had beaten the 2nd seeds and included the singles runner-up. Sophie and Lilly gelled nicely, had lots of fun throughout all their matches, and handled the grass expertly! Another summer, and another big grass court title for Sophie! Great stuff!
Hawker Jets are U10 Surrey Team Trophy Champions!: An incredible season for our U10's culminated in a one-sided final at Weybridge in mid-June followed by a fun celebratory pizza for players, coach and parents!
This was a fantastic achievement made possible by our awesome squad of Connell, Daniel, and Jayden, and 2 crucial very tight victories along the way. Daniel and Jayden teamed up to win our first 2 group stage matches, and then Connell came in for the group decider away to Ember. He teamed up with Daniel to secure a tight 10-7 deciding tie-break win in the deciding doubles.
In the knock-outs, once again Daniel and Jayden lead the team. First a comfortable 1/4 final win, and then a really tight semi-final home to Wilton, with the boys bringing great energy and teamwork in the deciding doubles tie-break to move us into the final!
All 3 boys were then fittingly involved in the final at Weybridge.
We've also had the full summer season of Team Tennis with 3 more league titles and 2 runner's up spots from the 5 leagues we entered. The U14 Boys were the highlight, securing their Division 1 title with a shoot-out win against a strong Coombe Wood side. George and Ted delivered a great performance under pressure to come through the deciding 10-point tie-break after the matches ended 3-3!
AND A VERY SATISFYING LOSS!:
Not to take anything away from the U14's, but I arguably could say I felt more satisfied as a coach after the U11's LOST their title decider with Weybridge. Simply because we knew we were playing a much stronger side on paper, and I took on the job to individually prepare our 4 players specifically for the challenge in the preceding week, and they all played some incredible tennis, rising to the occasion, and coming within 2 points of the win! Connell lead the team, and as per our plan put in a dominant display in his singles, leading early and staying totally focused and locked in until he'd claimed the match 4-0 4-0. Oscar came out aggressive, taking it to a national level player, leading in the 1st set, and again in the 2nd which he had points to win 4-0, but couldn't quite keep it going. Julian played one of the best matches I've seen from him, taking a strong player all the way to tie-break, and showing incredible fight and determination until the last point. Finally, Jayden who was ruthless against a bigger older opponent, coming out strong in the 1st set and then stayed really positive as he won the tie-break. Him and Julian also brought great energy to their doubles and won comfortably. All 4 boys responded so well to their individual plans, learned so much, and noticeably grew as players all in one afternoon. That's what coaching is about!
You can follow all the latest results, and read the latest reports on my Hawker Jets page!
Hawker Tennis on Instagram! - For latest news too!
NEW UPDATE - Team Hawker Squads: An exciting new dawn for Team Hawker squads, with a few revamps and a planned trimming down of numbers. I'm so excited to be working with a fantastic group of strong, focused, and committed players this term!
There are a few spaces available at some age groups, for high level players who love their tennis and will bring a great attitude to their training.
The emphasis as always, is on developing players as individuals, maximising their potential to perform in competition, and using tennis to boost all aspects of their wellbeing. The by product of that continues to be lots of on-court success! Squad sizes are maximum 8 players on 3 courts. Click the link for more info, and for new enquiries, please contact me directly to arrange a free assessment and chat.
The BEST thing you can say to a junior player who is losing and getting upset about it!: In case you agree it's really good, I can't take credit for it myself, and as I wrote it down without noting where I read it, I can't give credit to the creative mind who came up with it! Anyway, here it is;
YOU ARE NOT LOSING. YOU ARE LIVING, LEARNING, AND EXPERIENCING GETTING UP AGAIN AND MOVING FORWARDS.
OK, younger kids might not get it straight away, but if you keep saying it, they'll eventually start working it out, and be able to reduce or eliminate the upset factor when things aren't going well on the match court.
Player progression pathway from beginner to national level: Check out how the junior coaching team manage the Hawker Tennis junior program, and see clearly how player's can progress through the stages of development.
Skills & Drills with Nick: Skills & Drills are established classes for players who are competent with serving and rallying with yellow balls, and aged 9+. We focus on key developmental skills, and use a vast array of fun drills to put these into practice. There are currently class options on Weds 6.30-7.30pm (younger advanced - FULL), Thurs 7-8pm (older advanced - 2 spaces), and Friday 4-5pm (improver all ages - FULL). These classes are a great addition for higher standard players to add to their weekly training, and also a suitable session for competent players who can't commit to tennis, but still want to play each week.
There are waiting lists for full classes. Please contact Nick to enquire about Skills & Drills.
Matchplay (Sponsored by Richmond/Sheen Sports): Matchplay is a great opportunity for local juniors who wish to compete regularly and without having to travel too far to gain match experience, and it gives the chance to develop their skills in the match environment. It’s open to players from other venues as well as Hawker, and caters for all levels Yellow ball from age 9 upwards, and also green ball for those able to play at this stage. Please get in touch to express your interest, or follow the link for more info.
New courts: Our new courts are still looking and playing fantastically 4 years on, and are available to hire 3 days in advance through our Clubspark page.
Play PADEL at Hawker!: Our Padel Tennis court has been upgraded and is brand new once again! Bookings include free equipment hire if needed. For booking and more information, please visit: https://padelmates.se/club/playtimepadelclubkingstonlondon
PAST FEATURES OF THE NEWSLETTER THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST:
The BEST way to deal with cheating (May 2026)
Why you should NEVER EVER chase ranking points (May 2026)
How to believe in yourself (January 2026)
The Top 5 regrets of the dying (January 2026)
How to be lucky, including the best definition of what luck actually is! (September 2025)
Smartphones and kids and adults - A different way to think about the endless debate! (May 2025)
The BEST tennis autobiography currently available! (May 2025)
Chasing your dreams - How to do it the healthy way (January 2025)
Features from 2022-24: Including: Who should take the credit when a junior player wins a tennis tournament?, The 5 most powerful things that will fuel rapid progress, Why teenagers don't listen to their parents EXPLAINED, The secret of Carlos Alcaraz's success, the BEST book ever, and LOTS MORE!
The 10 key ingredients to help a junior get to national level (September 2023)
The Cobham Experience (MAY 2025): A light-hearted story about how tennis brings people together, written by myself and Mike Derks. Follow the link!
INSANE win for Sophie at the Play Your Way To Wimbledon National Finals! (From September 2025): I still don't know quite how she pulled this off, but incredible progress with the mental/emotional side with her ever-increasing ability to stay totally calm and relaxed under pressure, was probably the biggest factor.
She won all 7 matches at the national finals to become national U14 Girls champion at this years event, which started with literally thousands of players from around the UK, and ended with 48 qualifying for the finals event at Wimbledon. She won every tie-break she played, including saving multiple match points in a tense 1/4 final battle!
You can read my full write-up here, and you can also read a news piece by Yahoo Sports on Sophie's incredible achievement here. Well done Sophie!!
Richmond/Sheen Sports: You could go to an online retailer, or a budget superstore, and you may save a few pounds, but you won't get better overall value. Here's the best option, pay a visit to RichmondSports or SheenSports!
They are managed by enthusiastic and highly knowledgeable staff, equally passionate about sports as they are about the local community.
Your individual needs will be met in a way the bigger retailers can't match, in terms of better advice, a more personal service, and a genuine desire to fulfil your sporting needs whatever they may be.
Being part of Hawker Tennis also entitles you to 10% off, so you'll be getting excellent all-round value, whilst supporting a local family-run business.
YouTube channel: 60 videos, and though most date from the original Project 2015, they are still fun and relevant! The videos have received over 450,000 views between them! Videos Index
Tennisplayer.net: I'm an established contributor on this world leading coaching resource site, having written 2 lengthy series of articles, the first in 2016/17 on 1-2 Rhythm, and the latest on Marginal Gains in 2020. There is currently an offer of 30 days free trial to access the whole site!
Racism: Check the link for an ongoing blog which started after the death of George Floyd in May 2020.
Adult Tennis - Select 'Adult' filter to see all current courses
Feel free to get in touch about anything at all.
Warmest wishes
Nick
Remembering Joe Horner (it's all too easy to forget, so this memorial will remain on this page. I hope people continue to find enough time to reflect on the growing issue of mental health, especially in younger people): Joe was a regular face at Matchplay during many of his teenage years. He loved coming down to play, to mix with friends and enjoy the special atmosphere. His highlight was winning the 2009 Summer Tournament Doubles.
Sadly, Joe struggled with severe depression from his early 20's, and his mental health largely deteriorated during this time. He was very open about his problems, and had so much love from family and friends, but tragically in April 2019, he took his own life.
I have very fond memories of Joe, because he really understood what Hawker Tennis was all about, and fully appreicated being part of it even from a young age. He turned into a fine young man, so considerate of others, and always a pleasure to chat to.
After finishing education, Joe worked as a keeper at Chessington Zoo, and then moved on to ZSL at London Zoo. ZSL work worldwide on conservation to help save endangered species, something that was very close to Joe's heart.
For those who knew Joe, perhaps you would like to donate to this cause. through the link below, which is still live in 2025:
RIP John Yandell (February 2025): John was a visual tennis pioneer and a coaching genius. He created an online community that has had an enormous influence on the coach I am today. Finding Tennisplayer.net back in 2010 changed my life.
Despite working with John since 2015, I only met him for the first time in April last year at his home in San Francisco. It was so special to spend that time with him, it was literally like meeting a God for me! Now, I just feel so incredibly blessed to have had that opportunity.
I can't do justice in words to the coach and man that John Yandell was, but luckily a former Top 100 player who John worked with, has done a great job of this, so do check out what Jeff Salzenstein wrote.
When I saw John last year, his health was fine. He only started feeling unwell a few months before he died of cancer, aged 72, in February this year. We know life is precious, but we still take it for granted. Grab every day people, be nice to others, do your best, and enjoy being here!
U10 Surrey Team Trophy Champions 2026!