15-year-old Brit is just three games away from Wimbledon despite never competing as a pro
A 15-year-old British superstar could qualify for Wimbledon this year despite the fact she's not even a professional player.
In just two months, perhaps the biggest event on the annual tennis calendar gets underway at the iconic All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon.
Between 650-700 players compete across all events at Wimbledon, with the main draw of each the Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Singles featuring 128 players.
Players who are outside of the top 104 in the world compete to secure their spot during the Wimbledon qualifying tournament, which runs from Monday 23 June to Thursday 26 June.
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In total, 16 places are available for both the men's and women's draws, with players competing in a three-round knockout tournament to take one of the spots.
Among the players set to compete this year is 15-year-old rising tennis star Daniella Britton, who has impressed after winning the under 16s and under 18s national championships.
Winning the tournaments means that she has secured a qualifying wildcard for Wimbledon this year, meaning she is just three wins away from making her debut at the famous grass competition.
"I just can't believe it, I haven't even played in a women's pro event yet," Britton told the BBC.
"I'm just going to bring what I can do onto the court and see how it goes."
Britton has grown up playing at the the West Hants Tennis Club and admitted that playing at Wimbledon has always been her dream "especially for a British kid".
"You just want to aim for the stars and play those slams," she added.
However, given the level of competition expected to be competing at the qualifier event in June, the teen remained humble about her chances of progressing, admitting she was hopes to get through just one round.
"I don't tend to look too far ahead, I want to take it one step at a time, keep it very realistic," she said.
But Richard Irwin, head coach at West Hants tennis club, remains confident that Britton could go on to compete with the very best
He claims "she is the best" at her age level in Britain, adding that he has "no doubt that she's going to go out there and potentially surprise a few players".
"I don't think there'll be many 15-year-olds in there, let alone British 15-year-olds in there, so she's playing against the best in the world," Irwin said.
Ben McCrum