Last updated at 18:55, Friday, 18 June 2010

Jet-lag and living out of a suitcase are among the occupational hazards that Daneika Borthwick is prepared to endure to fulfil her ambition of becoming a future Wimbledon champion.

Daneika Borthwick, left, with partner Sian Bayliss after becoming the U16 British National doubles champions

The 17-year-old West Cumbrian tennis star’s passport has been stamped in 10 different countries in the last eight months, travelling to tournaments all over the world, including Japan, Thailand and Paraguay.

But she hopes that clocking up the air miles will lead her further down the road to Wimbledon glory.

To help achieve her aim, her career is being guided by Britain’s top coaches at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton, London, where she moved last year after leaving Wigton’s Nelson Thomlinson School.

Daneika, from Scales, near Aspatria, was head-hunted by the Lawn Tennis Association’s head of women’s tennis Nigel Sears and shares a court every day with the country’s best players, including long-standing former British No.1 Anne Keothavong and No.6 Georgie Stoop.

Travelling to International Tennis Federation tournaments all over the world during the last 18 months has seen her go from 970 in the world U18 rankings to the top 160.

Daneika, who was last competing in Morocco, said: “I am living my dream.

“I have been out of the country for 16 weeks since September and visited 10 countries but I’m loving every minute of it.

“Living out of a travel bag certainly focuses your mind. Wearing four kits a day means that Travel Wash is the first item to go into my bag.

“The down side is sitting in airports, especially with flight delays and the disruption caused by volcanic ash.

“My main aim for this year is to lower my world U18 ITF ranking and achieve a women’s ranking.

“I’ve no time scale on competing at Wimbledon. My aim has to be to work hard and continue to improve so that the opportunity to play there will be possible.”

The teenager underlined her potential by winning the doubles at the AEGON Junior National Championships in Bournemouth last year.

She competes in Grade 1 Junior and Grand Slam tournaments and the highlight this year has been a mixed doubles match in Japan.

Partnering the USA’s Noel Scott, they lost 7-5, 6-3 to No1 seeds Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic, last year’s Junior French Open winner and Junior Wimbledon finalist, after going 5-2 up in a thrilling match.

When she isn’t abroad, Daneika and fellow UK women players are put through a punishing regime at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton, where she is under the tutelage of Sears, Britain’s Fed Cup captain.

The National Tennis Centre is trying to unearth the first Wimbledon women’s champion since Virginia Wade won the Venus Rosewater Dish in 1977.

Daneika left the home she shared with parents Linda and Tommy, the former Cumbria and Aspatria Rugby Union Club coach and current coach of Tynedale, last summer and now lives with a host family in Wimbledon.

Twelve-hour days are the norm, with coaching on the tennis court, as well as gym work and cycling to keep her in peak physical shape.

Daneika, a member at Carlisle’s Chatsworth Tennis Club, said: “When my coach Damien Roberts, Nigel and myself are all in the country at the same time we work together on technical and tactical issues. The last time I did this was this month on my return from France.

“Over the last few months, I have hit with Anna Keothavong, Katie O’Brian, Mel South, Georgie Stoop, Stephanie Cornish and doubles player Sarah Bowell. All are good players and very friendly.

“The NTC is a really professional centre with state of the art facilities, a step up from what I have been used to.

“Before, I had to travel back and forth to Carlisle and Newcastle for different court surfaces. However here they are all on one complex. I feel that it helped my game dramatically as you are in a professional environment.

“My daily routine varies enormously depending on if I am in a training block or playing in tournaments.

“In a training block I usually play tennis twice a day in two-hour sessions, with three fitness sessions.

“When I’m abroad I take two physical programmes with me – one in case I am knocked out early and another in case I get to the later stages of a tournament, which I hope will happen more often.”

First published at 19:22, Thursday, 10 June 2010
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk