The camps, due to begin on January 31, will provide specialist tennis coaching on the world class indoor courts that are considered the same standard as those used for the US Open, with anyone over the age of 11 able to take part. 

Supported by the Tennis Foundation, the sessions will be held on the last Saturday of every month and are free for all under 18s, with adults paying just £2.50 ($3.20/€3.80).

"These visually impaired tennis training camps have been designed to bring together players of all standards by providing matchplay opportunities in addition to expert coaching," said Jack Pringle, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority Sports Development Officer.

"We've been working closely with key partners including the Tennis Foundation, Metro Blind Sport and East London Vision to organise these sessions and hope to see both newcomers and players that already participate on a weekly basis coming along."

Effort is taking place to raise the profile of visually impaired tennis ©Lee Valley



Although Paralympic events for visually impaired athletes take place across a broad range of other sports, the tennis programme currently consists only of wheelchair events, and there appears no immediate prospect of it expanding.

But the game is certainly on the rise, with the latest camps, taking advantage of the London 2012 legacy commitment of making the game more accessible for everyone, another advantage.