Two of Britain’s brightest tennis stars gave young hopefuls an evening to remember on court yesterday, at the unveiling of a refurbished indoor tennis centre.

Reed’s School, Cobham, held a ceremony to mark the new indoor tennis courts it hopes will help continue its winning streak in the world of tennis - Tim Henman was a student in 1986 and was at the event.

Andy Murray, current British number one and Oxshott resident, made a surprise appearance at the event, joining Mr Henman for a game of doubles with two students in the academy.

Henman said: “It’s fantastic. It’s slightly scary that it was nearly 30 years ago that I started here, and it gave me a great opportunity for my tennis career.

“It’s going to be great. The standard is very high, this is the opportunity and the practise that they need.”

The academy, which so far has 13 boys enrolled, used the event to launch a junior sub section, having seen world and national champions pass through its doors.

Wimbledon champ Murray said: “I came here before the refurbishment and it was freezing cold so doing the work, it was needed.”

He spoke of tennis as a good skill set, and said training grounds such as Reeds were a great starting platform.

He said: “You never know what’s going to happen. Even if someone starts playing at eight years old you never know whether they are going to be professional or not.

“If it wasn’t for tennis I would have not done half the things I have. I'm very grateful for that.”