This morning I visited Garstang Tennis Club to meet Michael Cartmell, an inspirational para standing tennis athlete and local LTA Accredited Coach at Cartmell Tennis Academy.
At 16, Michael suffered a serious brain injury that left him unable to walk, speak or write. Through determination and rehab he rebuilt all those skills and returned to tennis.
He now proudly represents England, recently reaching the quarter-finals at the Para Standing Tennis World Championships, and is training over 30 hours a week ahead of the Australian Open, the Malmรถ Open and hopefully the US Open next season!
Alongside competing, Michael and his sister Annabelle coach over 200 players across Lancashire and Cumbria and deliver tennis in 31 primary schools, reaching more than 1,000 children each year, making sport accessible for all.
I’m so pleased to see his incredible ambition in the face of such adversity, and am delighted to share his hopes to represent the nation on the world stage. You can read more about his journey here: https://gofund.me/6af4e03f9