MANY girls drop out of sport once they reach their teenage years, but Anya Pereira certainly won’t be one of them. The 13-year-old from Cirencester is powering on in her tennis career.

Cirencester Tennis Club hold a Road to Wimbledon tournament annually, which is open to all tennis players under 14. This year Anya won the girl’s competition and went on to the Gloucestershire County Finals.

Although she came second there, she had quite a consolation prize – meeting tennis greats at Wimbledon last month!

Along with the other county runner-ups, she took part in a training session with retired tennis star Tim Henman OBE and Dan Bloxham, the All England Club head coach and Wimbledon master of ceremonies.

Touring around Wimbledon and using the players’ changing room and restaurant was all part of the excitement for a young woman who dreams of a future on its courts.

“I look up to all of these incredible tennis players. It would be amazing to play like them one day,” Anya said.

It was the second time she had come runner-up, but this didn’t detract from the event.

“It was a fantastic experience meeting Tim Henman and Dan Bloxham,” she said. “I learnt so many new things and could see I had improved a lot since last time.”

This hasn’t been Anya’s only encounter with famous faces, she also attended a rally with Judy Murray in June, alongside the top ten players in the county. Murray runs the rallies to inspire more girls and women into tennis.

Anya has turned up to tennis tournaments a number of times, only find they have been cancelled last minute due to insufficient numbers. Understandably, Anya finds this very frustrating.

“We need to inspire more girls into the sport and to keep playing,” she said.

Head coach of ADS Tennis School Adam Swan, who trained Anya for three or four years, sees part of the problem as poor scheduling, with entries being spread out between events on the same day.

“But yes, girls do tend to peel away from the sport,” he admitted.

“We’re really lucky at Cirencester to have lots of girls playing; entire groups from seven to 16.”

Not every club is so lucky and Adam is concerned that girls do slip through more than boys.

“Personally, I have a nine-year-old daughter who I really hope keeps playing,” he said.

Anna Gell, the junior chair of Cirencester Tennis Club, believes more publicity could be an important factor, so girls have sporting role models.

“I think it would help if we had more great British female tennis players being reported on by the media at the same time, as it would put women's sport at the forefront of people’s minds.”

But neither of them is worried about Anya, agreeing on how hard she works and how driven she is.

“She is a little bubble of energy, she really is,” Adam said. “Her appetite for tennis seems insatiable.”

“If she isn’t on the court taking lessons, she is playing with her brother.”

For Anya, it is simple. “I get such a thrill from playing, I just love it,” she said.

And, as if her tennis achievements aren’t enough, she also plays South West regional Lacrosse. Her tennis, lacrosse and hockey talent all contributed towards her sports scholarship at Rendcomb College, which she’s held for the last two years.

Anya is now looking ahead to future triumphs.

“I can’t wait to try to go to Wimbledon again,” she said. “And I’m hoping next year I can finally win it!”

Anna Gell is just one of the many people cheering her on.

“Next year will be her last chance to actually win the Road to Wimbledon competition – we keep saying third-time lucky,” she said.