Tennis Star joins elite Barcelona Academy

Downton Tennis Centre is celebrating one of its rising stars, Hayden Mundy’s acceptance into the prestigious Emilio Sanchez Academy in Barcelona. The 15-year-old Trafalgar School student will be starting at the same academy where tennis star Andy Murray trained at the same age.  Hayden started Saturday morning tennis sessions with Lee Mahony to burn off some of his energy when he was five. From the age of 10, Hayden's commitment to tennis grew stronger. By 12, his ranking soared to within the top 200 in the country.

Hayden will be heading to Barcelona for a three-year stint, during which he will attend the American School alongside his tennis training at the Emilio Sanchez Academy. Hayden said: "I’m really excited about the challenge of raising my game to the next level and massively increasing my dedicated tennis hours each week. Plus, I won’t have my Dad moaning at me to keep my bedroom tidy!"

Hayden's Dad is immensely proud and also grateful for the support from his coaches. He said: “Thanks to Lee for believing in him. I’m looking forward to Hayden having the opportunity to really focus on his tennis and schooling in a fantastic environment. I’m also looking forward to regaining about 15 hours per week of my life as being a tennis Dad takes a lot of driving!”