The other female representative in the British delegation is Bethany Brookes, who will make her Deaflympics debut along with Jack Clifton, after they made their international debuts in 2011 at the the Dresse and Maere Cup, the World Team Championships of Deaf Tennis, in Turkey.

Fletcher's husband Lewis is also due to make his second appearance at the Deaflympics in Sofia following his fourth-place finish in the men's doubles at Taipei 2009, and 11-time national singles champion Peter Willcox completes the squad.

(Left to right) Lewis Fletcher, Peter Willcox, Cathy Fletcher and Bethany Brookes will all represent Britain at the Deaflympics, along with Jack Clifton

"I'm very excited by the blend of youth and experience in our team for the Sofia Deaflympics," said Catherine Fletcher (pictured top).

"This is likely to be my last Deaflympics as a player, while Lewis and Peter are also both experienced international players.

"As the three of us have progressed over the years, we've been so excited about the future for the younger players, too, and both Bethany and Jack have made tremendous starts to their international careers over the last two years.

"We are all looking forward to doing Great Britain proud in Sofia."

Head of Disability Player Performance at the Tennis Foundation, Geraint Richards, added: "It's a really exciting time for deaf tennis in this country and, as well as being at the very top of their game, this team are brilliant role models to show people of all abilities how much fun you can have playing tennis."

The five British squad members will compete at the Games from July 26 to August 4 this year.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]