Whitby Mayor calls for return of tennis courts to town after Emma Raducanu's stunning US Open win

Just this week, Andy Murray has stressed the importance of grass-root facilities following the announcement of a £22m government investment in public tennis courts, as he spoke of the importance of capitalising on 18-year-old Raducanu's success.

But, as Cllr Wild points out, there are no public courts in Whitby.

“We need to think about the young people and for that matter anyone who wishes to play outdoor tennis," she said.

"We want to give the youngsters of Whitby every chance to play tennis and aspire to be champions in that sport in the future.

“You have to go to Danby to find Whitby Tennis Club!

"Scarborough promised us development under its Tennis Strategy in 2019.

"As we all know, a lot of things changed because of the pandemic, but we are very keen now to have the tennis court back in use in the near future."

Whitby’s public courts have been used by motorists parking around the leisure centre for some time.

Cllr Wild is asking Scarborough Borough Council to reinstate the tennis court before it disappears forever.

“I’m waiting for Scarborough Borough Council to step up to the baseline and provide an ace response," she said.

"This will be an excellent sports asset and will give young people in Whitby an opportunity to expand their sporting choices.

"As Andy Murray has said, ‘Clearly it is something that needs to be done and courts need to be invested in to make tennis more accessible for people to play'."