Ben Bartram has been crowned LTA Junior Player of the Year after a stellar 2021 season that saw him continue to impress on his journey up the wheelchair tennis ranks.

The Sprowston star, 16, won three gold medals at the School Games National Finals as well as the singles and doubles titles at the British Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships ITF Junior Series.

He also led the British team to a superb silver medal at the World Team Cup in Sardinia, having started the year as the ITF junior world No.1.

He was announced as the winner by LTA Colour Holder, Naomi Cavaday at a live-streamed awards ceremony presented by LTA President David Rawlinson and hosted by the LTA’s Head of Men’s Tennis Leon Smith last week.

Bartram said : “This is massive. It shows all the hard work is paying off and it’s not only people close to me that are recognising that work, but also the LTA who have supported me throughout my whole career. I’m very happy to receive this award.

“It’s obviously been a team effort with everyone around me, so I’d like to thank everyone who’s been a part of my career so far.

“Getting to world no.1 was massive and the highlight of the year, and coming second in the Junior Team World Cup was also really great.

“Now, I’m focusing on improving my senior ranking and seeing how well I can get on at senior tournaments as well.”

The LTA Tennis Awards are now in their seventh year and celebrate the achievements and contributions of outstanding tennis volunteers, coaches, officials, venues and players across the country.

Bartram was hand-picked as one of 17 national winners recognised at the awards ceremony on Thursday, which honoured individuals involved in tennis at grassroots, county, regional and national level.

Nominations were drawn from over 25,000 volunteers, nearly 5,000 coaches and 1,000 officials, 22,000 schools, nearly 3,000 clubs and over 9,000 LTA approved tournaments, with Bartram recognised for his superb achievements across 2021.

Aside from his World Team Cup and School Games National Finals successes, he made his senior debut at the British Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships and reached the final at further ITF Future Series events in Romania and Turkey.

The quality and quantity of the nominations demonstrate outstanding work that has been done in tennis through the pandemic and David Rawlinson, LTA President, said: “The LTA Tennis Awards are a real celebration of the people that make our sport thrive.

“They celebrate the achievements made by outstanding volunteers, coaches, officials, venues and players, who are all vital in helping us to grow the game.

“The past year has been challenging for everyone, but to see the tremendous positive contributions the nominees have made to the sport and to their communities has been tremendously uplifting.”

To find out more information about the LTA Tennis Awards or for information on how to play, coach, volunteer or officiate in tennis, head to https://www.lta.org.uk/