SHE may have missed out on the chance to follow in Sir Andy Murray’s footsteps at Wimbledon this summer but Rossendale star Emma Lodererova insists her tennis dreams still burn brightly.

World number one Murray is once again spearheading the British charge at this year’s Championships having progressed to the quarter finals following yesterday’s victory over Frenchman Benoit Paire.

Fellow Brit, Johanna Konta is also through to the last eight in the women’s event following her win over Caroline Garcia.

Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School pupil Lodererova had the chance to join the pair at the world-famous venue when she took part in the HSBC Road to Wimbledon North Regional Qualifier at Ilkley Lawn Tennis and Squash Centre.

The 12-year-old was playing for a spot at the National Finals of the HSBC Road to Wimbledon 14 & Under Challenge at the All England Club.

And, despite falling short of a memorable outing at the famous SW19 courts this time around, Lodererova, who trains at the David Lloyd Centre in Middleton, is adamant we haven’t seen the last of her following her 6-4 6-2 first round defeat to Millie Skelton.

“I made a few mistakes but my opponent played well,” she said. “I had played her before but not in a while. This is my first time competing in the Road to Wimbledon

“I want to work on trying to make less unforced errors, that’s where I lose a lot of my matches.

“I’d like to improve on my backhand as that’s the weaker part of my game, but I thought one of my strengths today was that I was quite aggressive on the court when I was playing.

“I’ve been playing tennis since I was six. My parents played so I started with them. I don’t really have a set role model in tennis, but I do spend a lot of time watching the professionals.”

The HSBC Road to Wimbledon National 14 & Under Challenge forms part of HSBC’s investment in grassroots tennis; an area of the sport the Official Banking Partner of The Championships has been supporting since 2008.

Each year over 10,000 youngsters take part in the series of national tennis tournaments, helping to inspire the next generation of Wimbledon stars to take their tennis careers from the back garden to Centre Court.

And while their own Wimbledon dream is over for another year, Lodererova insists she will be watching this year’s Championships closely.

“I’m going to be watching Wimbledon obviously,” she added. “I’d like to get to a professional level. I do other sports in school but tennis is the only main sport I play. I train for three or four times a week. It would be really special to get to that elite level, it’s something I’ve wanted since I was a kid.”

n HSBC is the Official Banking Partner of The Championships and is committed to supporting grassroots tennis, helping to inspire the next generation of Wimbledon stars to take their tennis careers from the back garden to Centre Court through the HSBC Road to Wimbledon 14 & Under Challenge. @HSBC_sport