The LTA’s tennis academy at the University of Bath has been officially opened by British number one, Tim Henman.

The £2m tennis facility has been funded mainly by the LTA and will act as a regional base and centre of excellence for young players in the region.

The centre has been developed in partnership with the University of Bath, as part of its training village.

It will be open to the community on a pay and play basis. Local schools are also funding some of the academy players’ expenses.

At the opening, Henman said: “I really believe in creating academy environments where players of all ages train together.

“The Bath academy players will get to train with top coaches and athletes from other sports in world-class facilities on competition courts.”

The centre features eight indoor and eight outdoor GreenSet Grand Prix acrylic courts from Doe, with two outdoor clay courts.

Academy head, Simon Jones, said: “We wanted to ensure everything was perfect for training Britain’s best players.”

Ged Roddy, director of sport at the University of Bath added: “We’ve come a long way since training on public courts in Victoria Park eight years ago. This is one of our proudest days yet.”