Tennis Scotland president John Wilson wants to see more Scottish aces

John Wilson helped re-launch the village's tennis club, and has now taken over the top role at the sport's governing body in Scotland - and has a vision to improve the path of progress for talented tennis players in order to make the grade.

The 70-year-old says he is thrilled at the opportunity to get more families making a racket.

The post is the culmination of a rise up the ranks from a man who has dedicated his life to promoting the game.

He is a former president of Tennis Ayrshire and also played a pivotal role in the improvement of facilities while a member of Troon Tennis Club.

John has been a keen supporter of the grassroots level of the game and wants to see that further bolstered during his time in charge.

"I am keen nationally to see increased links with the districts and the way Tennis Scotland operates," he said.

"From my last few years as vice-president, I can see that Tennis Scotland has a very strong and diverse board with a very capable staff and that has resulted in a lot of good things happening.

"We have seen participation numbers in tennis grow by 30 per cent over the last five years and that is highly significant and a good sign for the future.

"We are looking to develop more indoor centres in Scotland and while that is not as fast as some would like we are doing our utmost to make it happen.

"We have also been seeing the development of park sites, such as Ayr Fort, which is in the process of being refurbished and should be available by May, and the ongoing project to rebuild at Douglas Park in Largs is something which we hope will come to fruition.

"Irvine Tennis Club have done a lot of their own fund-raising and it has been great to see it up and running and the more tennis courts we have available the more we can host junior events and competitions and build for the future."

With Andy and Jamie Murray reaching the twilight of their tennis careers, keeping an eye on future development of Scottish tennis and making sure there is a good ladder in which to progress is something John is keen to encourage.

He said: "There is a really good group of talented tennis players coming through aged 10-18, which is no doubt credited to the fact that the LTA, through Tennis Scotland, has seen a firm commitment behind professional development over the last few years.

Net gain- JOhn Wilson is looking to boost opportunities for talented players in Scotland and provide more links with district tennis (Image: Newsquest)

"One of the things I want to see is that there are sufficient funds going forward which will result in a good outcome for players progressing through the ranks, with more domestic talent developing their game in Scotland to a higher leven than has been previously."

In one of his first roles since becoming president, John attended the recent British Padel Tour finals at the West of Scotland Padel Club in Stevenston.

He says that now that padel had been taken under the wing of the Lawn Tennis Association, there is further opportunity to build the game in Scotland going forward.

Judy Murray pictured with John at the opening of West Kilbride Tennis Club in 2016 (Image: Newsquest)

John is a former asset management company investment director with IGNIS, where he was responsible for leading a team of 15 professional fund managers plus support staff.

They managed more than £3 billion in commercial property assets in a mix of funds, including the second largest quoted sector property investment trust.

He was also president for four years at Troon Tennis Club, where he promoted and led a £250,000 project involving the redevelopment of the clubhouse and the renewal of its front three courts.

After retiring, John worked hard at establishing West Kilbride Community Sports Club, which also saw the resurrection of the village's tennis courts.

These were officially opened by Judy Murray - see video above - after securing a range of grants before re-developing the tennis pavilion,and improving other sporting facilities in West Kilbride.

John is married to Jean, who is also a keen member at West Kilbride Tennis Club, and they have two grown-up children, Graeme and Lynne, and two grandchildren both called Alex, aged 11 and 13.