Gosling Sports Park in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, has been awarded International High Performance Centre (IHPC) status by the Lawn Tennis Association.

Director of tennis at the facility, Matt Willcocks, said: “Gosling was already one of 20 High Performance Centres (HPCs), a network of elite training venues designed to support the country’s best senior and junior tennis players. However this latest mark of quality means it is recognised as one of the Top four tennis training centres in the country.

“We have been assessed by the LTA across 12 areas from education through to our tennis programme, and on the back of that have been given IHPC status. The focus is to provide an opportunity for everyone to become as good as possible. As an IHPC we offer the most committed players the best facilities and coaches, in a programme accessible to all.”

Steven Martens, player director at the LTA, said: “I am delighted after three years of the current programme that Gosling Sports Park has been awarded International High Performance Centre status. It reflects the great work that Gosling is doing in developing tennis talent and we hope the increased support will offer.”

Willcocks added: “Gosling Tennis has 150 action points in order to achieve our long term goal, which means the team working hard toward our goal almost every day to get there.

“We want to be world class in what we provide but we also want to know that if a Murray or Federer walked in they would get as good advice here as they would anywhere else in the world.”

The tennis centre at the 50-acre Gosling Sports Park includes nine indoor championship acrylic courts, four covered American clay courts, five outdoor floodlit synthetic grass courts and a tennis bubble covering four further courts.