Tennis Foundation announces Dresse & Maere Cup tennis team

Press Release
Thursday 12 June 2014

Tennis Foundation announces  Dresse & Maere Cup tennis team

Geraint Richards, the Tennis Foundation’s Head of Disability Player Performance, has announced the seven players selected to represent Great Britain at the 2014 Dresse & Maere Cup, the world team championships of deaf tennis, in Chattanooga, USA from 14th July to 19th July 2014.

Catherine Fletcher, the Tennis Foundation's National Deaf Tennis Coach, and Stuart Wilkinson, the Tennis Foundation's Lead Programme Coach, will captain the Great Britain women's and men's teams, respectively.
 
The players selected are:
 
WOMEN:
• Bethany Brookes
• Alex Simmons
• Beth Simmons
Captain: Catherine Fletcher
 
MEN:
• Nicholas Ansell
• Jack Clifton
• Lewis Fletcher
• Peter Willcox
Captain: Stuart Wilkinson

Great Britain has a long history of success at the Dresse and Maere Cup, with Catherine Fletcher and Alex and Beth Simmons all being members of the GB women's team that won the Maere Cup in Austria in 2003, for just the second time in the event's history. The same year Lewis Fletcher and Peter Willcox were members of the GB men's team that finished runner-up in the Dresse Cup.

Both Great Britain teams narrowly missed out on a medal after fourth place finishes in the 2007 Dresse and Maere Cup in Munich, Germany, while Britain was also fourth in the Maere Cup in 2011 in Turkey.

“I’m very excited by the blend of youth and experience we have for the 2014 Dresse and Maere Cup,” said Catherine Fletcher. “For myself, Alex and Beth, winning the Maere Cup for GB in Poertschach, Austria will always be among our most memorable career highlights and to be a part of such a successful GB squad on that occasion, with the men winning silver in the Dresse Cup, made it extra special.

"We will definitely draw inspiration from those performances when we're in the USA, with Alex, Beth, Lewis and Peter all among the squad once again, while Jack and Bethany have both gone on to win European medals and make their Deaflympics debuts since playing in their first Dresse and Maere Cup in Izmir, Turkey in 2011."

Richards added, “It’s a really exciting time for deaf tennis in this country and, as well as being at the very top of their game, this team are brilliant role models to show people of all abilities how much fun you can have playing tennis with friends and family on your local court.”

Find out more about deaf tennis here: http://www.deaftennis.org.uk/

The Tennis Foundation is Great Britain's leading tennis charity and our vision is a sport which is inclusive and accessible to every kind of community. They:

• promote tennis as an inclusive sport across a wide range of disabilities
• support coaches and places to play to deliver tennis for disabled people
• deliver world class tennis events for disabled players
• identify and develop the most talented players and deliver a world class performance programme for their most promising players.

To find out more about the Tennis Foundation visit their website at: www.tennisfoundation.org.uk or on Twitter @TennisFndation