A Midsomer Norton schoolgirl was treated to an experience of a lifetime as she and sixty of her classmates were welcomed by the Chief Executive of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), Scott Lloyd, to the historic Fed Cup by BNP Paribas event in Bath last week, meeting her tennis coaching inspiration, Judy Murray, in the process.

The special trip for Naomi was arranged by the LTA, after a letter she wrote to her tennis hero went down a storm on social media.

Naomi, who fell in love with tennis at a young age and plays weekly at Writhlington Tennis Club, is a huge fan of Judy Murray. In her passionate letter to Judy last month, she expressed her aims of becoming a tennis coach and inspiring more women and girls to get into tennis.

After Judy shared the letter on Twitter, the LTA invited Naomi along to last week’s Fed Cup event at the University of Bath, where Judy was supporting the LTA’s work to shine a spotlight on women’s team tennis.

The Fed Cup is being hosted by Great Britain for the first time in 26 years, with the LTA using it as a platform to bring world-class tennis to new and existing British fans.

The event, therefore, presented a fitting backdrop for the LTA to arrange the special day for Naomi. After being welcomed by Scott, the St John’s Primary School pupil joined in an on-court tennis session being run by Judy, aimed at coaching local schoolteachers.

Judy then shared some of her top coaching tips with Naomi for her to try out herself.

Naomi’s special experience was completed as she re-joined her classmates courtside to watch some of the world’s best female tennis players competing for a place in the Fed Cup play-offs in April.

Ten-year-old Naomi said: “Today was amazing, thank you to the LTA for giving me this opportunity. I can’t wait to put Judy’s tips into practice!”

In her letter to Judy Murray, which was shared on Twitter, Naomi says: ‘I would love for you to reply to me, and I hope I can be like you when I am older, and get more female players playing more often.’

Scott Lloyd, Chief Executive of the LTA said; “Opening up tennis, making the sport more welcoming and enjoyable for everyone, is a key focus for the LTA, and the Fed Cup provides a great opportunity for us to do this.

“We want to inspire people across the nation to pick up a racket, and in Naomi we already have a fantastic cheerleader for our sport.

“Events like this are all part of our long-term plan to engage more children and give them a positive first experience of tennis so that they, like Naomi, fall in love with it and continue to play throughout their lives.

“For anyone inspired to get into tennis like Naomi, it’s easy to find your nearest court, coach or club – just head to our website at: www.lta.org.uk/play.”

Writhlington Tennis Club told The Journal: “We are very proud of Naomi and glad she got to meet Judy at the Fed Cup. Naomi is a lovely girl, and we have seen her enjoy her tennis for many years at Writhlington. Her family are very supportive of what we do. Her brother, Samuel, is also a keen player, and it’s clear that they all love the sport.”

The Fed Cup by BNP Paribas sees female teams from almost 100 countries compete for eight spots in the elite World Group for the chance to lift the Fed Cup trophy. Great Britain is one of eight nations competing, with each team contesting for a place in April’s World Group II Play-Offs.