Hi there, my name is Lisa Whybourn, I am 22 years old from Hemingford Grey, Cambridgeshire and I am a professional tennis player.

I first started playing tennis aged 8 at Hemingford grey Primary School and Huntingdon Tennis Club, having already been involved in many other sports. It wasn’t until I was 12 that things became a little more serious. At aged 14 I left home to train with the national squad in Loughborough. I represented Cambridgeshire and Great Britain throughout my junior career at all age groups.

At age 18 I decided to turn professional and train full time. I am now training at the Team Bath Tennis Academy where I have been based for 3 years. Bath allows me to train with some of the best players in the country and be part of a world class programme. I have reached 3 professional circuit singles finals and I have won 3 doubles titles. As a junior I also won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Youth Games and represented GB at Winter and Summer cups all around the world.

In July 2013 I reached a career high of 250 in the world in singles and number 6 in the UK. This meant I competed in my first main draw at Wimbledon. This however was one of my last competitions. After seeking medical advice I decided to undergo surgery for a tear in my labrum in my shoulder. I’m now nearly 6 months post surgery and almost ready to get back onto the full tour.

Tennis, as some people may know is a very expensive sport and in order to continue to train and get back on the tour I am in need of some help. I train around 30 hours a week, 6 days a week in Bath with my coach Ian McDonald and the other players at the Academy. This usually consists of 3-4 hours of tennis and 1-2 hours of physical training. I tend to spend 25 weeks of the year on the road travelling the world. Last year I competed in America, Thailand, Indonesia and Estonia to name a few destinations. Travelling is one of the most costly parts as I have to continue paying for my academy fees and rent whilst I am away along with flights, hotel fees and everything else that goes into competing.

Reaching a career high just before requiring surgery showed me just how close I was to achieving my goals of competing in Grand Slams.

I am aiming to raise £5000 to go towards all my training, living and travel costs and get me back out on the road towards more success.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story! You can keep up to date with my blogs and tournament schedules at www.lisawhybourn.co.uk and www.twitter.com/lisawhybourn.

All your support is greatly appreciated!