Batchwood Tennis Club’s Jon Meredith scooped the coveted Performance Coach of the Year award at Saturday’s Aegon Coach of the Year Award ceremony.

Held at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton, Meredith received the award from Judy Murray, the mother of British number one and Wimbledon winner Andy, for the work he has done over the past seven years.

During that time he has produced 38 national players, four of which have represented Great Britain.

“As they read out the tale of the tape as it were on each nominee I thought ‘I fare quite well here’,” the admitted.

“It doesn’t get much better; it was a special moment for me and it’s made even sweeter because we had such a terrible time for two or three years after the club burned down and now this is something really positive.

“I want to thank my colleagues, the council and Leisure Connections, who all support performance tennis in St Albans.”

The fire that tore through the old tennis centre almost three years ago will be resigned to past next month when the club’s new facility is opened.

Having spent the last few years travelling around the country, Meredith is excited to bring all the games back under one roof.

“I’m looking forward to getting into the new centre and putting in the work to make it into something special,” he said.