It's not every day you get to meet your sporting idol but that is exactly what happened to four members of David Lloyd Finchley’s tennis club after they won the national finals of the inaugural Jaguar Championships.

Gemma Sgariglia, Miwa Handa, and brothers Aleksandar and Nicholas Mitric fought off stiff competition from seven other teams at David Lloyd’s Raynes Park facility on Sunday, watched on by former British number one Tim Henman.

The inaugural Jaguar Championships saw 1,200 players from up and down the country battle it out for a spot in Sunday’s finals, where a prize of Wimbledon quarter-finals tickets were up for grabs, plus the opportunity to drive Jaguar’s All-New F-PACE for a weekend of their choice.

And for 23-year old Aleksandar, the opportunity to meet his childhood hero capped off a thrilling day in South London as his team etched their names in Jaguar Championships history by taking home the crown.

"I was really excited to meet Tim Henman, he is a really nice guy, and a great role model,” said Aleksandar, who attended Fortismere School.

“When I started watching Wimbledon he got to the semi-finals, and it inspired me to start playing. He is an inspiration and means a lot to this country, helping to bring through young guys.

"Playing in the Jaguar Championships has been very exciting. We worked very hard to get here and we won our home tournament in the regionals.

“I love tennis because I like the competition, playing against someone better and finding it from deep within you to beat them.

“I've travelled all around Germany, Serbia, and the USA playing tennis and made a lot of my best friends through tennis. I met my girlfriend through it too so it has played a big part of my life.”

David Lloyd launched The Jaguar Championships, an inaugural mixed-doubles event which will now feature as part of it 2016 Total Tennis Calendar, and Jaguar ambassador Henman was the star attraction at the event as he watched all the action get underway.

And after taking to the umpire’s chair to oversee the day’s finals, the 41-year-old admits he was impressed with the talent on show.

“For me, one of the most important things about the Jaguar Championships is the participation, getting more and more people into the game,” said former world number four Henman.

“It’s a great opportunity on a lot of different levels and when you see the number of people participating today, I think they’re very happy to have Jaguar’s support.

“I’ve been very impressed with what I’ve seen. I’ve been watching the tennis and I was quite glad I wasn’t on court because there are some really good players.

“That is no great surprise because if you get a lot of people playing, the best ones will come through, and with this opportunity of competing in the Jaguar Championships, you’re going to see some good players so that was definitely a good sign.

“I hope that the Jaguar Championships can grow and continue to encourage more people to play the game and give more opportunities to them.”

Tim Henman was speaking at The Jaguar Championships as part of Jaguar’s partnership with David Lloyd Leisure. Visit http://www.jaguar.co.uk/jaguar-range/f-pace/index.html to find out more about the F-PACE, the Official Car of The Championships, Wimbledon