Pippa hoping for late invitation to Wimbledon juniors

Norfolk tennis hopeful Pippa Horn could make her junior grand slam debut next week at the Wimbledon Junior Championships.

Horn, still only 15, is hoping for a wildcard into the junior event after reaching the second round of the wildcard play-offs for the qualifying tournament at the Senior Wimbledon Championships; losing out to Francesca Stephenson in three sets.

Her junior world ranking of 351 is not yet high enough to earn a direct spot in the draw so she will rely on a wildcard, to be awarded at the discretion of the All England Club tournament committee.

Injuries have meant a low-key start to the year for Horn but the top-ranked Norfolk junior is confident that a change of school and training base will help her to hit top form as she did last summer, when she won the 18 and under national championships.

The former Wymondham College pupil now attends Queenswood School in Hertfordshire and trains at Gosling Tennis Centre in Welwyn Garden City with coaches Louis Cayer and Jamie Evans, after a stint at the National Tennis Centre.

'I've been playing so much better recently and fingers crossed I will turn that into results soon like I did last year' said Horn, who won two ITF tournaments in July 2010, shortly before her victory at the Nationals.

The West Harling resident is competing at the AEGON Junior International at the Bank of England Sports ground in Roehampton this week; the traditional grass court warm-up event for the top junior players in the world, and knows that a good run would do her Wimbledon hopes no damage whatsoever.

Horn received a wildcard for the event and faces junior world number 52 Stephanie Nauta from the USA in the opening round.