Burdekin is Beijing-bound thanks to Wirral coaches

Jul 23 2008 by Our Correspondent, Birkenhead News

WIRRAL Tennis Centre's reputation for producing world-class wheelchair tennis players has been further enhanced by Paralympics GB announcing the selection of Jamie Burdekin for September's Beijing Paralympics.

It is the second Games in succession that a player trained at the Bidston facility has been selected to represent Great Britain in the Quad Singles and Quad Doubles at a Paralympic Tennis event.

Mark Eccleston now helps coach players at Wirral Tennis Centre having retired as a player following the Athens Paralympics in 2004, where he won silver in the Quad Doubles with fellow Briton Peter Norfolk.

Eccleston narrowly missed out on reaching the semi-finals of the Quad Singles and therefore the chance to play for a second medal in Athens, but two medals is the goal that Burdekin has set himself as he also pairs up with Hampshire-based Norfolk for the Quad Doubles this time.

Burdekin, 26, ended 2007 at his highest career quad singles world ranking to date of No.10 and in January this year, he won his first ever international singles title in Queensland, Australia.

The two-time national quad singles champion, who is currently world ranked No.11 and will be playing in his first Games, said: "Since becoming involved in wheelchair tennis, my goal has been to represent my country at the Paralympics.

“To have achieved this after only a few years of playing makes me immensely proud. As many athletes will tell you, it’s tough being on tour as there are so many tournaments – especially with me having to leave my family, which I find extremely hard.

"The opportunity to represent my country at Beijing has made the whole thing worthwhile. I've always been in to sports and wheelchair tennis has given me an amazing opportunity to travel the world and see some amazing places and meet great people.

“Now I've qualified for Beijing, I want more success and I am going there to win gold and nothing less. I'm not going for a holiday or to take photos, I'm going to do a job and bring home the gold medal for my family and friends, who have stuck with me through thick and thin. No-one remembers second place and nothing is impossible."

Burdekin and reigning Paralympic quad singles champion Peter Norfolk have also enjoyed considerable success as a partnership.

They have reached five finals and won one title together so far this year and are one of only three pairings since the beginning of 2004 to have beaten reigning Paralympic quad doubles champions Nick Taylor and David Wagner of the United States.

Burdekin and Norfolk's one doubles title this year was at the recent French Open in Antony, near Paris, where Burdekin was also a single semi-finalist after beating the world No 10 and the world No. 5.

These are among a string of victories Burdekin has enjoyed over top 10 players in the last 12 months and he will seek to further boost his reputation ahead of Beijing, when he competes at next week's British Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships in Nottingham (22 - 27 July).

The British Open is one of three majors on the 2008 NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour and Burdekin heads to the event along several of his training partners at Wirral Tennis Centre.

Among them is Antony Cotterill, who is hoping to make the London 2012 Paralympics and recently equaled his career high Quad Singles ranking of No.15 after winning the Czech Open Quad title to double his tally of international career singles titles.

The Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games opens on September 6 and closes on September 17. The tennis events at the Games take place at the Beijing Olympic Tennis Centre and will run from September 8 to 15.