Ryan Peniston is eager to use his breakthrough run of form over the grass court season as a launchpad for his career, as his impressive run came to an end with second-round loss to Steve Johnson at Wimbledon.
Essex’s Peniston, who benefits from the LTA’s NTC Access programme, providing cost-free access to, coaching, trainers and the LTA’s tournament bonus scheme, lost 6-3 6-2 6-4 to Johnson on Court 3.
Yet after a breakthrough month that saw him win his first match on the ATP Tour, secure a win against 2022 French Open finalist Casper Rudd at the LTA’s cinch Championships and then win his first match at Wimbledon, the 26-year-old is relishing the chance to continue his journey towards the top 100 of the game.
“I’ll definitely take the last few weeks on the grass forward and with a lot of confidence. Hopefully I’ll be able to push on for the rest of the year,” said Peniston.
“I’ve got a little taste for it now after the last few weeks, and I definitely want more. Hopefully I can get some more matches on the ATP Tour under my belt, especially Grand Slams as well. There’s nothing like playing the Grand Slams.
“It’s given me huge confidence. I had the kind of belief before, but now it just kind of cements it in my mind. I feel very, very high in confidence at the moment, especially after the last few weeks.
“I want to win matches, trying to win every point, trying my fullest, but when I come off with a loss, I’m pretty down on myself. When I get time to reflect, it’s not so bad.
“I’d love to play all of the Grand Slams, all main draw in the Grand Slams. That would be great. Yeah, to crack the top hundred, higher, would be amazing. Some more boxes to tick.”
Despite his disappointment in defeat, Peniston believes his past battle with soft tissue cancer rhabdomyosarcoma allows him to deal with tough moments on and off court.
“It gives me a lot of strength. I feel like it’s definitely made me tougher on the tennis court, because sometimes you can think things aren’t going that well, you can get down on yourself. When you put things into perspective, it’s not so bad,” he added.
“When I get time to reflect, it’s not so bad. I think my experience as a kid helps with that.
“I definitely want to win. Losing feels pretty terrible, but not as bad as some things.”
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