HE may have missed out on the chance to follow in Sir Andy Murray’s footsteps at Wimbledon this summer but Droitwich starlet Scott Mortimer insists his tennis dreams still burn brightly.

World number one Murray spearheads the British charge when the championships get under way on Monday.

Royal Grammar School Worcester pupil Mortimer played in the HSBC Road to Wimbledon Midlands regional qualifier at Billesley Tennis Centre, Birmingham.

The 13-year-old hoped for a HSBC Road to Wimbledon 14 and Under Challenge national final spot in August.

But Mortimer, who trains at Droitwich Tennis Club, was adamant people had not seen the last of him after losing 6-0, 6-1 to Charlie Watson in the first round.

“It was a good match. Plenty of games went to deuce but he just kept coming out on top,” he said.

“He was very good. I started to fight back in the last set and thought I was doing alright.

“Some of the shots I was framing but he had quite a big serve on him. Last year I fractured my leg so I couldn’t play in this and it’s good to be back.

“At my club we train on Astroturf and I train at Bromsgrove as well which is artificial clay. I enjoy that as there aren’t too many clay courts around.

“I lived in Australia for a year so I’m used to it and I like sliding a lot.

“My favourite player is Roger Federer and I’ve really enjoyed the way he’s come back this year and looked back to his best.

"I’m going (to Wimbledon) on Monday. It’s a Centre Court ticket so I’ll be seeing Murray in his first match. But I hope Federer wins it.”

HSBC is the official banking partner of the championships and 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 and Under Challenge. @HSBC_sport