Falkirk-born teen wins national tennis award

Emma Howat, now of Dollar, was been shortlisted for award in recognition of her contributions both on and off the court at Dollar Tennis Club in 2021.

Her accomplishments also include striving to ensure that young people in her local area can increase their involvement in tennis by creating opportunities for competitively play.

The shortlist, as part of for the Tennis Scotland Awards 2022, recognises the contributions of individuals, clubs, programmes, and competitions that played a key role in growing the game in 2021.

The category winners were announced today (Friday, 29 April) with an awards ceremony set to be held for recent winners at the Davis Cup in September, as part of the celebrations marking the Emirates Arena’s role as a host of group stage matches. 

Speaking to the Alloa Advertiser, Casha McNab, Dollar Tennis Club secretary, told of the sheer amount of time Emma puts into helping support the club’s youngsters.

She said: "Apart from being a very good tennis player, Emma worked tirelessly for the club through last season.

"She has shown a huge commitment to tennis. But it has been her incredible enthusiasm and love of children that has made her so popular with all ages in the club.

"Last year she coached but out of work hours constantly ran practices, club nights, tournaments, barbecues and several junior teams ranging in age from eight to 16, all on a voluntary basis.

"The kids just love her and as a result our coaching programme is full and many are learning a love of the sport.

"She is an exceptional young person and the club has been very indebted to her for all her efforts but mostly for her infectious enthusiasm."

Blane Dodds, Tennis Scotland Chief Executive, said: “I would like to congratulate each of the winners of this year’s Tennis Scotland Awards, alongside everyone who stepped up and played their part in continuing to grow our sport by facilitating welcoming tennis environments all over the country.

“As the governing body, it gave us great pleasure to witness a plethora of Scottish success stories across the year, on a national and international level. I wish the very best of luck to our winners and LTA President Award nominee as they aim to pick up more accolades at the LTA Awards later this year.”