Christopher Charles Samuel (Chris) Hill is a veteran tennis player and professional tennis coach based in South Wales with numerous international, regional and other representative honours.
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Personal life
Born in 1957 in Abertillery, Monmouthshire, Hill still lives in the area (2015). Hill is a strong advocate of tennis and the personal, social and sporting benefits associated with the game. As such he devotes much of his time to working with young people with the aim of helping tennis progress in the town, region and Wales as a whole.
Playing career
Hill started tennis at a very early age at his local “Six Bells” tennis club. Trained by Bob Wallace, the former Secretary of the Welsh Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), he won early rewards as a Welsh Junior Doubles champion and singles semi-finalist before going on to represent Wales at British junior grass courts level.
His playing career continued in much the same vein through senior tournaments. He was a multiple Welsh Doubles Championship finalist, a Wales international player and captained his county side.
By 2015 at veteran level Hill had gone on to win 15 Welsh titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles play. On the UK circuit, Hill together with his doubles partner Tony King of Birmingham, was a finalist or winner of the over 55 British Grass Court Doubles championships for 6 years running. They were outright winners on 3 occasions including in 2013 when the tournament was held at Wimbledon.
The International Tennis Federation ranks players from all over the world and it was in that year that Hill achieved his so far career best world ITF “top -10” ranking. Again in the same year he was awarded “Welsh Tennis Player of the Year” by the Wales Lawn Tennis Association.
In total by 2015 he had been a Wimbledon Champion and achieved over 75 Wales and Great Britain title wins.
Coaching career
Hill’s first venture into coaching came at just 16. It continued for more than 30 years on a part-time basis alongside full-time employment in the steel industry. Redundancy gave him the freedom to take up professional coaching.
In 2011, Hill was shortlisted by “Tennis Wales” for Welsh Tennis Coach of the year. That same year he coached Special Olympics tennis player Shain Lewis who went on to win two bronze medals at Athens. Lewis was selected from the competing 6000 athletes to give the closing ceremony speech to 60,000 spectators, and worldwide TV. He went on to meet Prime Minister David Cameron at Downing St.
By 2015 Hill had private clients, colleges, schools, local education authorities and tennis clubs on his books. As always he was keen to further the game at junior level and was still providing coaching for young people wherever he could.
Playing record highlights
2011 Seniors club of GB v Norway home in London
2011 Seniors club of GB v Germany away in Berlin
2012 British Open over 55 Indoor Doubles Champion
2012 Scottish Open over 55 Singles Champion (Glasgow)
2012 British Open Singles Semi-finalist ( Dudley)
2012 British Open Clay Court Doubles Finalist (Bournemouth)
2012 British Grass Court Doubles
2012 International Seniors Marbella Singles Finalist and Doubles Champion
2012 Seniors Club of GB v Norway away in Oslo
2012 British Grass Courts Champion (Oxford due to Olympics)
2013 British Indoor Doubles Finalist (Dudley)
2013 British Clay Court Doubles Finalist (Bournemouth)
2013 ITF South of England Doubles Champion (Eastbourne)
2013 ITF Gerard's Cross Doubles Champion
2013 British Grass Court Doubles Champion (Wimbledon )
2013 Seniors Club of GB v AELTC Wimbledon
2014 British Open Indoor Doubles Champion (Dudley)
2014 Awarded Welsh Tennis Player of Year award
2015 Seniors Club of GB v Norway home Havant