Today I was invited to the National Tennis Centre in London for a lunch event to celebrate the re-introduction of British Colour Holders.
For those who didn’t know, a Colour Holder is status achieved when a player steps onto court to play for Great Britain for the first time. Historically, in the same way a player might receive a ‘cap’ in football or rugby, when a player represented Great Britain in tennis, they received a Colour. The reintroduction of Colour Holders marked 125 years since the first players stepped onto court to represent Great Britain at tennis – at the 1896 Olympics. It has been developed to help acknowledge, recognise and celebrate players, past and present, who have represented Great Britain in the Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup and Wheelchair Tennis World Team Cup, as well as at the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
I am incredibly proud to have represented my country at 2 Paralympic Games and 13 World Team Cups around the world, so I was delighted to hear that the LTA Colour Holders programme was to be re-introduced and to include wheelchair tennis players. One of the things I am most passionate about is equality for all. In this topic specifically, it’s incredibly refreshing to see the wheelchair players and able bodied players being recognised at the same level.
Competing at the top level of any sport and to represent your country is every athletes ambition and I often have to pinch myself to realise I’ve done this 15 times. The highlight will forever be being a part of the London 2012 Paralympics GB Team, a year and time where disability sport transformed in this country and certainly boosted my career in ways I never expected. Now as a retired athlete I can look back at these experiences with great joy, wonderful memories and kit to last me a lifetime. Experiences I will forever be grateful for and I can definitely say that all the hard work, blood, sweat and tears were definitely worth it.
My colour Holder number is 273, and I’m proud to be in a long list of fellow players who have also competed for our country in the sport we love the most. Congratulations to all the Colour Holders recognised already and for those who will soon join the list, and a huge thank you to the @lta for hosting such a great event today. It was also lovely to have my Mum with me too, one of the many amazing people who helped me get to where I am today.