Born in St. Albans, now living in Bath and working for Teambath-MCTA. I may have grown up with tennis racket in hand, however I have never forgotten the importance of my guitar...

I have a real passion for sport and have spent time as a professional tennis player and a strength & conditioning coach. During this time music has always been there behind the scenes, however it's now been pushing itself to the front of my priorities.

I have just finished recording a four track demo under the guidance of Terence Ryan and there are plenty more songs eager to meet the studio. The songs take inspiration from pursuing your talents and following your heart...

Please check out some of my recent material and show your support @

www.reverbnation.com/alexanderjoseph

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After some excellent results in 2010 from Sid Hazarika, Toby Martin, Richard Gabb and Dan Cochrane it fell to the class of 1994 and 1995 to carry the mantle into 2011.

First up was a trip to our most adventurous destination, Libya in October 2010. The aim was for our 6 players to win their first ITF points. After a week in Tripoli enduring very high temperatures and challenging circumstances, David Fox, Samm Butler, Toby Mitchell, Brigit Folland, Seb Rey and Luke Johnson returned unscathed with the mission accomplished. All had won an ITF World Junior ranking. Toby and Luke were Doubles finalists and David Fox reached the singles semi final. With the job done and new recruits like Scott Clayton and Beth Askew joining the Academy in 2011 we looked forward to a strong showing throughout the rest of the year.

William Bissett, 14, from Devizes has become the tenth winner of the boy’s singles event winning the Final at Wimbledon playing phenomenal tennis, at the home of The Championships, where only a few weeks ago Novak Djokovic triumphed over Rafael Nadal to win the 125^th men’s title, and Petra Kvitova defeated Maria Sharapova to be crowned Ladies’ singles champion.

William, seeded 10^th, who plays at Devizes Tennis Club and Team Bath IHPC and goes to Monkton school defeated the number four seed Mason Recci from Warwickshire 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in an epic match.

"To be the tenth HSBC Road to Wimbledon champion feels really, really good. I was a bit nervous before the match, but all my matches have been tough so I knew I was well prepared to play Mason. Before the rain delay I started well and after a bit of a wait we continued where we left off in the 8th game and I managed to keep it going to take the opener 6-4."

"Then in the second set I lost my rhythm and was playing catch up after giveing Recci a 2-0 head start. He makes a lot of balls so I knew I had to try and keep him moving and I tried to come in to the net quite a lot."

"Competing in the HSBC Road to Wimbledon National Finals feels more special than any other event because you know that the pro's have been here. It is amazing to be junior and be able to play here on the grass."

This year HSBC Road To Wimbledon is celebrating its tenth anniversary of giving the opportunity of a lifetime to thousands of young British school children, the chance of an unforgettable tennis experience at Wimbledon. By competing first in one of over 800 local club or school events, and then qualifying via the County Finals. William qualified for the National Finals and was invited by The All England Club Lawn Tennis Club, and HSBC, to benefit from a fun-filled week of tennis. During the National Finals 64 boys and 64 girls from across the Country competed in the singles & doubles events experiencing the magic of the most famous grass courts in the world.

Tim Henman, Ambassador for the HSBC Road to Wimbledon 14 and Under Challenge was in attendance during the Finals and says, “The HSBC Road to Wimbledon is a wonderful way to inspire future generations of British tennis talent.  As it celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, it is hugely apparent that competitions like these are a fantastic way to help nurture British tennis.” He adds, “I will always remember the first time that I played at Wimbledon and I look forward to sharing this experience with this year’s finalists. It is a great pleasure to be able to help the The All England Club and HSBC support the stars of the future.”

Giles Morgan, Group Head of Sponsorship for HSBC talks also talks about sponsoring the prestigious junior tennis tournament, “Enjoying its tenth anniversary, The HSBC Road To Wimbledon is another example of how HSBC is supporting sport at all levels, from grassroots to elite, and if we can play a small part in the sporting development of these young players then we’ll be happy. We are delighted to give our support to what has become a much anticipated fixture in the junior tennis calendar”

For further information on the 10^th HSBC Road To Wimbledon event please visit www.hsbcroadtowimbledon.com

TEAMBATH-MCTA has had a fabulous summer. Toby Martin followed in Richard Gabb's footsteps to become National U18 Champion. We almost had a double on our hands when Beth Askew narrowly missed out losing the final of the girls. She is only 15 and as I write about to play the finals of the U16 Nationals, so her future is bright.

Our presence at the Championships was extensive with 5 of the semi-finalists in both boys and girls either full time or access players. Toby lost his only set of the week in the semis to Scott Clayton (TB-MCTA) and Luke Johnson (access) ran out of steam after a number of close matches against Luke Bambridge. Beth beat Lissy Barnet (access) in the girls semi-final. The individual coaches of Luke (Gary Henderson, whom I used to coach) and Lissy (Pete Russell) have both done fantastic jobs in bringing them through. TB-MCTA is an effective team and credit goes to all involved. The work done with this particular group by Ian Macdonald and Jim Edgar is to be congratulated.

Sam Murray is one of the fastest climbers of the year in world tennis. She began the year unranked and is now WTA 500, a superb effort. She along with Rich and Toby are off to play 9 tournaments in 3 months in Australia with her target to try reach inside 400 and the boys to get inside 1000. The aim of TB-MCTA is International success. 18 months into the partnership, with continued support from both Bath University and the LTA, this goal is taking shape.

TeamBath-MCTA tennis player Stephanie Cornish (Economics) is currently away in Shenzhen, China for World University Games (August 12-23). She joins former TeamBath-MCTA Academy player Dan Cochrane (Auburn) and Academy coaches James Andell and Eve Langley as part of the 6 player team. The team flew out on August 6th to begin acclimatising and get in a weeks practice in the heat of China.

The World University Games is held every 2 years and is the 2nd largest multi sport event in the world after the Olympics. 12000 athletes are expected in China to compete in 24 sports with many teams using it as a final preparations for London 2012.

James said "I am delighted with the team that we have traveling to China and believe it is the best possible available. I am also really pleased to see that Steph and Dan have been rewarded for all the hard work they have put in over the years. Steph has had a superb 1st year at Bath and Dan has continued to impress at college and is now ranked inside the top 10 for doubles in the States. Hopefully all players can perform to the best of their ability and really enjoy the the experience that World University Games brings".

Barry Scollo, Director of Tennis, said "it is fantastic news that TeamBath-MCTA have not only players but coaches representing GBR at World University Games. I wish the whole team the best of luck".

The tennis competition takes place from August 14th - 21st and more information can be found on the Universiade website.

Image by lta.org.uk