A schoolboy who dreams of winning at Wimbledon has beaten France’s top player in his age range at a tournament in London.

Theo, who attends The Grange Monmouth Preparatory School, was one of just four youngsters from all over the country selected to play for GB during the four-day under-12 event against France last week.

The dedicated 11-year-old, who trains every single day, took to the courts at the National Tennis Centre (NTC) in Roehampton to play in singles and doubles matches on Thursday and Friday.

Theo, who lives in Lea near Ross-on-Wye, was victorious in his singles games, and he and his partner narrowly lost in the doubles after a tiebreak.

He said: “When the email came through inviting me to play at the NTC I just felt proud. I was so honoured to play for my country.

“I love tennis – the satisfaction and the excitement I get from it, as well as the friends I’ve made.”

Theo’s parents were thrilled with his success.

His father Mark said: “Theo has had an amazing few days.

“His coaches were absolutely delighted with his performance, as were the LTA coaches and officials.

“He even had James Ward, fresh back from the Australian Open, watching him for a few minutes!”

On the strength of his performance, the up-and-coming star has been invited to attend a four-day national training camp for an older age group, at Roehampton next month.

Theo started playing tennis when he was five-years-old.

He regularly wakes up at 6am to do his homework, ensuring his evenings are free for practice at Oxstalls Tennis Academy in Gloucester.

“I would love to win Wimbledon when I’m older,” Theo, who is sponsored by specialist equipment provider Babolat, said.

“It would be more than a dream come true. I shall have to work even harder every session to make that happen.

“Because of all the training I go through a pair of tennis shoes every three to four weeks, so I’m very lucky Babolat provides my kit for me.”

Theo has already won several national tournaments, including events at Manchester and Newquay, before carrying off the top prize at Queenswood in Hertfordshire where the top 24 boys in the country played.

The impressive youngster has even beaten 16-year-olds in matches before.

“Older players think they can power me off the court,” he added.

“They think they’ll serve and I won’t go anywhere near it – but it’s really satisfying to prove them wrong.”

The Grange supports Theo in his training, allowing him to go to matches and training sessions.

He added: “Although I know I could pursue a good career in tennis, I always put academics first.

“If I don’t end up playing tennis, I would like to be either a pilot or a lawyer.”