A star tennis player will spend the summer at a top sports academy after he was awarded am almost $4,000 Government grant.

Antonio Warner, 14, said he was “really excited” at the prospect of honing his skills the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Centre in Florida next month.

He added: “I’m looking to improve my game overall and just get a lot of practice over the summer.”

Antonio said: “I just want to become as good as I can in tennis and chase that feeling of satisfaction when I achieve my goals.”

Antonio, from Paget, was speaking after he was awarded a $3,900 Government scholarship earlier this month through the Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association to train at the school for about four weeks.

The Warwick Academy pupil said that he had been told about the grant back in May and got the cash about 12 days ago.

He added: “I was ecstatic when I found out about it. My mother had told me and we were just all happy emotions that day.”

Antonio said that he would compete in several tournaments outside the tennis academy while in Florida.

He added that he managed to balance out his passion for tennis with studying enough to maintain an A/B average at school.

Antonio said: “It’s all about creating a balance, really – I just create a schedule for myself and apply myself as much as I can.

“I give myself the hours I need to study for school and also staying on the tennis court and staying active.”

Antonio added that he won the grant because of his consistent performance in tournaments.

He has played in the Central American and Caribbean Tennis Confederation, or Cotecc, championships for the last four years and last year placed fifth in the Caribbean and Central American region.

Antonio also represented Bermuda in the World Junior Tennis Championships in 2017, where the team came eighth out of 16.

He was also chosen to attend the International Tennis Federation Central American and Caribbean Tennis Confederation training camp in the Dominican Republic in 2018.