From Fred Perry to Tim Henman to Emma Raducanu – how some of biggest names in British tennis graced the Felixstowe Tennis Club courts over 140 years

Tucked away between residential homes in Felixstowe lies a club, which throughout its 140-year existence, has welcomed some of the biggest names in British tennis.

From Fred Perry and Tim Henman to Dan Evans and Emma Raducanu, the Felixstowe Tennis Club has provided a stepping stone to success.

In fact, before Emma’s worldwide fame back in the summer of 2021, the then 19-year-old’s first major victory was celebrated here in Suffolk.

The British tennis sensation lifted the British Tour trophy at the Felixstowe grounds the same year as her victory at the US Open.

Bill Cunnew, the club’s chairman of seven years, said: “Most of the players that you know, such as Andy Murray or Dan Evans have come through Felixstowe at some point in their career, because we hold a number of different tournaments.

“This week it’s junior week. If they get through that and when they become better players, they start to represent their county.

“So they could come here during junior week, they could come back when they represent their county and when they turn semi-professional, they could come and play the British Tour, which is for up-and-coming players.”

To add to the list, the club has hosted prestigious national and international tournaments, including the GB Davis Cup Ties in 1954 and the East of England Championships, which was founded in Felixstowe in 1885.

However, despite the club’s impressive and lengthy history, which started on April 5, 1884, Mr Cunnew said the club’s fame is not at the level it used to be.

Once second to Wimbledon, the outbreak of World War Two changed all that.

“From the early 1900s through to the 1930s and early 1940s, Felixstowe was the second most prominent place in the country after Wimbledon,” he said.

“All of the top tennis players used to come and play in Felixstowe.

“They would all stay at the former Felix Hotel, which is now a retirement home. The club and the hotel were strongly linked in the early beginnings.

“After the war, we seem to have lost that.

“We have seen some big names come through, but nothing like we used to.

“We don’t get world ranking players with the exception of Emma in 2021.”

Although Mr Cunnew is unsure why top-ranking games stopped at the club, he did suggest the closure of the Felix Hotel as well as the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) choosing to invest in other sites across the country, could have contributed to the club now only hosting tournaments for up-and-coming players.

The club faced many challenges through its history, including the danger of going bankrupt about a decade ago.

However, overcoming those challenges and continuing to thrive has led to it gaining the title of one of the UK’s oldest club.

Earlier this month, the Mr Cunnew organised a free open day to mark the club’s 140th birthday.

The club’s president Christine Janes – winner of French Championships in 1959 – joined the celebrations.

When asked if he felt the pressure of running such a long-standing club, Mr Cunnew said: “I feel a lot happier now than when I took over.

“My goal was to grow the membership and make sure we’re financially sound going forward and we managed to do both of those things.

“Before I joined the committee, we were on the verge of going bankrupt so the one thing that stopped us was building four small bedroom houses on the grounds.

“The profit from the houses has helped us to improve our facilities, such as adding new fencing, floodlights and refreshing the courts.”

He added: “Not a lot of clubs make it to 140 years.”

“I’m proud to be in charge of a club with this sort of age and this sort of history.”