IN 2011, seven-year-old Theo Purkis hit his first ever tennis ball at an Easter course at Five Acres.

Eighteen months on, the youngster from Dymock is regarded as one of the hottest young prospects in the country, having beaten the British number one in his age-group.

Forest tennis coach Chris Davis says Theo's natural talent was obvious from the outset.

He said: "He moved really well, had excellent coordination, listened intently, worked really hard but above all, he fell in love with the game.

"His game has gone from strength to strength, aided by a rigorous training programme, very supportive parents and hitting hundreds and hundreds of tennis balls every month."

Theo has won nine regional tournaments in the past 18 months, including a national event in Bournemouth.

He has now been taken under the wing of the high performance coaches at the Oxstalls Tennis Centre in Gloucester, where he trains four times a week.

Chris added: "This is really only the beginning for a very talented young tennis player. It is generally accepted that it takes more than 10,000 hours to produce an elite sports person and in tennis men usually peak in their early to mid 20s, which is another 15-18 years for Theo.

"The Olympics provided a marvellous sporting legacy but I think Andy Murray's Grand Slam win has probably inspired Theo more.

"He takes everything in and can already analyse a tennis match in detail."