Scott Henderson and Adrian Duthie at Wimbledon.
Every tennis player’s dream is to play on the sacred grass of the All England Lawn Tennis Club – better known as Wimbledon.
And for two members of the Inverness Tennis and Squash Club in Bishop’s Road, that dream came true recently for Scott Henderson and Adrian Duthie.
They have played doubles together for eight years, and this summer they entered the Vodafone Play Your Way to Wimbledon qualifying competition open to local clubs all over the UK, after failing on a couple of previous occasions to get beyond the regional stages.
The pair have previously been spectators at SW19 and their journey to the London Borough began earlier this year when they came through their club’s qualifying competition to play in the North and East of Scotland Area Doubles Final at Dalgety Bay.
Duthie said: “We’d done a lot of preparation for the area final, but it ended in a way we definitely hadn’t expected. One of our opponents had to withdraw because his partner had gone into labour, so we received a walkover.
“It was a bit of a shock after all the preparation we’d done, but then the reality suddenly hit us – we were going to Wimbledon!
“It genuinely felt like the chance of a lifetime: to play on grass at Wimbledon, in such an incredible setting, and to share the experience together after playing doubles together for eight years.”
Adrian Duthie and Scott Henderson playing at Wimbledon.
Duthie (42) and Henderson (33) travelled down with their families so they could share the experience and support them with the pre-tournament build-up made them feel like Andy Murray as they got their official accreditation, entered the grounds, were interviewed and had some press photographs taken.
Their first match was slightly delayed due to that rare English commodity – rain and it took place on Court 4 against against two 23-year-old Birmingham university students.
Like true professionals, the pair spied on the opposition as they had played earlier in the day for their first ever match on grass.
The first set was extremely close and largely went with serve, but their opponents eventually edged it 7–5.
Duthie said that the early setback inspired them. They raised their level and the combination of Henderson’s winners and volleys, Duthie’s serve and the pair’s court coverage, they won the second set to take the match into a championship tie-break – the first couple to 10 points or two clear points thereafter.
He said: “We won the second set 6–2, but their opponents upped their game and emerged victorious by 10-5.
Adrian added: “Obviously we were disappointed to lose such a close match, but there were absolutely no regrets.
“We’d walked onto a grass court at Wimbledon for the first time and produced some of our best tennis.”
Adrian Duthie and Scott Henderson at Wimbledon.
Their second match went to a championship tie break also after they won the first 6-2 and lost the second 6-4.
But they brought their A game into the tie break and reversed that first match outcome with a 10-3 win, by cutting out unforced errors and strict concentration.
Duthie continued: “We were absolutely over the moon. To be able to say that Scott and I have won a match at Wimbledon is something we’ll always have and to have our families there also to see us do it made it extra special.
“The result meant we finished second in our group but that was the end of our road.
“We were also among the last matches to finish that day and got an unexpected bonus. The umpire very kindly allowed Scott and me to stay on court and play a set of singles against each other.
“There was also a real sense of pride in representing Inverness Tennis & Squash Club and our part of Scotland.”
Vodafone’s Play Your Way to Wimbledon brings 300 regional winners from the UK to get the chance to play on the iconic courts
Duthie concluded: “That’s what makes the competition so special. It gives ordinary club players the opportunity to experience something extraordinary.”
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