Wolverhampton's Henry Searle focussing on Wimbledon positives
Henry Searle has decided to treat his first-round exit at Wimbledon as a valuable learning experience.
The 19-year-old was defeated at the first hurdle of the men’s singles for a second successive year, losing to Ethan Quinn 4-6, 6-2, 7-6, 6-2 at SW19.
It was a far cry from 2023, when he became the first British male to be crowned Wimbledon boys’ singles champion since Stanley Matthews in 1962.
While the transition from junior to senior level has proved more challenging than he had hoped, Searle is determined to absorb all that Wimbledon has to offer as he seeks to build on his burgeoning potential.
“It’s a good experience overall,” Searle said. “To have another four-set match under my belt. We don’t play five sets every week and I’m not at Grand Slam level yet, so it’s good experience to be on that court.
“The serve on display was pretty good throughout the match. A lot of serves were on the line or near it, so it was tough.
“The mental and physical demands are far greater than in juniors and it’s more taxing, so I’m adapting to that, but we’re getting there slowly.
“It was nip and tuck. I thought if I could get away with the third set, the match would’ve flipped a bit, but it wasn’t meant to be.
“I tried to take my mind off it and come out and reset, but ultimately he [Quinn] played the better tennis.”
Although his singles campaign ended early, Searle will not have long to wait for another opportunity.
Later in the tournament, the 19-year-old will partner Birmingham’s Dan Evans in the men’s doubles, where they face compatriot Henry Patten and Finland’s Harri Heliövaara in the first round.
Searle admits the prospect cannot come soon enough as he plots a return to winning ways.
“I’ll do a little bit of stretching and get in the physio room to prepare for the doubles," he added.
“It’s completely different to singles. It’s more fun. You’re playing with someone else and I’m looking forward to it.
“I’m always trying to pick Dan’s brains and get little bits of advice off him; he’s always good at saying things when we’re practising or on the doubles court, so he’s very supportive.
“It’ll be a good atmosphere and we played Henry and Harri at Queen’s as well, so it’ll be a fun match.”
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