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MAY 2026 NEWSLETTER
The summer season is here!
Summer Tournament 2026!: Entries are now open, and will stay open until Tuesday 16th June. Full info and entry links can be found here.
An update on our Hawker coaching team!: Last September, 3 new coaches joined the club after Paul's departure, so here's an update on how it's all going 8 months in!
The new Hawker coaching team has gelled fantastically. We all went out for a great Christmas meal, and will get together again at the end of this term. It's beautiful to have a group of dedicated coaches ably pushing the program forward, and building on the wonderful success that Paul achieved.
Having been the self-appointed head coach at Hawker for many years, the role was made official as part of the coach re-structure! I can only say it has been an absolute pleasure leading this great team of passionate and enthusiastic coaches. The camaraderie and togetherness is special, and adds to the friendly and supportive all-round atmosphere at the club.
Ollie's classes on Mon-Weds continue to be delivered with high energy and top quality content, and there are very limited spaces available. Nico has expanded his Saturday schedule to 5 classes, and each week his commitment and passion are clear to see. Begum has also expanded her Sunday classes, and has shown her full commitment to the role by embarking on the necessary pre-requisites to take her level 3 qualification.
Ollie will also be delivering summer holiday camps, so do keep an eye on our Clubspark page for more info in the coming weeks.
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.
Hawker Jets book-end the U12 Surrey Team Trophy!: An incredible campaign in the 2025/26 Surrey Team Trophy has seen the Hawker Jets guarantee another Team Trophy title as our U12 A team will meet our U12 B team in the final on Sunday 7th June before we all head out for a celebratory pizza!
It's a special achievement, made possible by our full squad of U12 players; Oscar, Aryan, Franky, Gusti, Julian, Lucas, and Otis. They all played their part, and we look forward to a special day on 7th June.
Incredibly this isn't the first time the club has book-ended a Surrey Team Trophy draw! In the 2019/20 season, our U16 Boys also achieved this rare but impressive feat!
Elsewhere, our awesome U11 team of Connell and Oscar went all the way to the final, where they narrowly lost out to a strong Weybridge side. Our U18 team (who have won the competition for the last 3 years!) finally lost at the semi-final stage this year, away at St.Georges Hill. Lastly, our U10's team are still going, though a date for the final has yet to be confirmed. Well done to Daniel, Jayden, and Connell for another great run this season and a chance for another title!
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: Currently, the squads are completely full, with 38 players at squad level. This is TOO MANY! I pride our club on being able to fully support every individual squad player with what they need to achieve their goals in tennis. This is a big coach commitment that I'm always highly motivated to make. However, the risk with so many squad level players, is the support they get becomes diluted. All players and parents know this term is acting as a trial, and from September the squads will have a slight revamp. The plan will be to have smaller focused squads of players who are fully committed to making progress, whilst those who are less committed will be catered for in different classes. New enquiries are very welcome, though the standard of play and level of commitment of new players needs to be high.
NEW ENQUIRIES FOR SQUAD SHOULD BE MADE BEFORE THE END OF JUNE IF POSSIBLE.
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.
Individual successes keep coming at all levels!: Big well done to George who has won an incredible 5 tournaments already this year! A great reward for his commitment to progress, and improved mental skills in matches. Also to Oscar, who has won his first U11 Grade 4 followed by his first U12 Grade 4 this year, and reached the Top 100 just 18 months after starting lessons!
At higher levels, big well done to Connell, who has played 3 more national level tournaments this year, finishing 9th place in the most recent Grade 1 in Bradfield. He also played a crucial role in Surrey's U10 team to qualify Surrey for the national finals of the County Cup, taking place next weekend! Also, to Sienna who was doubles champion and singles runner-up at a recent Grade 2, made final of a Tennis Europe, and qualified for her first ITF junior tournament at the first attempt by winning 3 tough matches! She also played a pivotal role in Surrey being crowned National Champions in the U14 Girls county cup a few weeks ago!
The BEST way to deal with cheating, and why you should never ever chase ranking points!: Two great new additions to my comprehensive tennis parent education page, that might be of interest even if you don't have a competing junior! Please follow the direct links below.
The BEST way to deal with cheating
Why you should NEVER EVER chase ranking points
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 - 1 space), and Friday 4.30-5.30pm (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 3 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:
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): 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!!
Holistic cat care: A good friend of mine based in Argentina is a leading specialist in holistic cat care. If you're interested in having a deeper more meaningful relationship with your cat, you might want to check out her services. Link here!
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, where they support many local clubs and schools, including ours.
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 helping them to keep helping us and other local clubs.
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!
U14 Play Your Way To Wimbledon National Champion!