British Tennis Awards Ceremony 2017: The complete rundown

On Tuesday 3 July at The Championships, Wimbledon, our incredible winners and finalists of the British Tennis Awards 2017 rallied together for the official awards ceremony. 

The British Tennis Awards are a celebration of the thousands of people who go above and beyond to support the game, from grassroots initiatives to supporting Britain's biggest major events. Featuring fourteen categories, the awards recognise the people and places who help keep tennis ticking across the nation. 

In autumn, we received a record-breaking total of 1,460 nominations to recognise the outstanding efforts of volunteers, coaches, officials, teachers and many others playing a vital role in growing the game. Then after a rigorous judging process at both County and Regional levels, an expert panel made up of LTA, Tennis Foundation and Sport England colleagues, volunteers and former British professional player Naomi Cavaday, got together to decide the national winners and finalists. 

We celebrated our County winners at numerous County Award ceremonies, our Regional winners at six major events this summer, and now the National winners at the ceremony in SW19.   

The winner of the Education Venue, Disability Programme, Competition and Community Venue  awards were announced in May, with the finalists of Volunteer, Young Volunteer, Outstanding Achievement and Coach awards announced in June during Volunteers' Week and Coaching Week. The outright winners were then revealed at the ceremony itself, along with the winner of the Official, Club and Players awards.

The awards were presented by a host of familiar faces including Leon Smith, Roger Taylor, Jeremy Bates, Jo Durie,  Mark Cox, James Keothavong, Jonny Marray, Christine Truman and HRH The Duchess of Gloucester.

Who said what? 

LTA Chief Executive Scott Lloyd 

“I want to congratulate all our winners and nominees for this year’s British Tennis Awards. We had a record number of nominations and their stories reflect the huge passion for the game and highlight how tennis touches the lives of people in a range of different ways, whether through disability programmes, education initiatives or the fantastic work that clubs do in their local communities.

“Our sport wouldn’t be what it is today without the support it receives at grassroots level. These winners and nominees along with the thousands of others up and down the country who give up their time to support our sport are the real heroes of British tennis.” 

GB Davis Cup Captain Leon Smith OBE 

“The British Tennis Awards are a real celebration of the people that work at all levels of our sport, including our inspirational coaches who are vital in growing the game and supporting those who play tennis across the country.  

"Whether it’s helping someone pick up a racket for the first time or progressing through to being an elite player, coaches motivate each person and I genuinely believe their passion for the sport will encourage those of all ages and abilities to keep playing tennis for the rest of their lives.”

Young Volunteer of the Year Jess Barton  

“I’m really proud of myself for winning this award and to receive it here at Wimbledon in the company of so many amazing people from British tennis was an experience I will never forget. I’ve always loved tennis and one day I decided to go along to my local club and see if I could get involved in some way – that’s how I started.

"I was having a difficult time at school and tennis gave me something positive to focus on. I love helping to coach the disability programmes because it’s so rewarding. All volunteers are really important to the future of the game, especially to inspire younger generations.”