A tennis coach has been rewarded for his tireless efforts to get more people involved in the sport as part of the Tennis Black List Awards.

Leonard Ogbonna, 44, who grew up in Nigeria and is now based in Cardonald, won the Game Changer in the Community Award which honours those who do incredible grassroots work in the tennis community across England, Scotland and Wales.

The Tennis Black List Awards celebrated tennis role models from the black and mixed black heritage community from players at the highest level to volunteers and their tireless efforts.

Ogbonna said: “I’m so excited, it’s a privilege to be here, when you’re doing something that you love and are passionate about, it’s a bit thing.

“My passion for tennis came from back home when I was a kid playing tennis and luckily for me, opposite where we lived there was a tennis court and I was a ball boy and then I picked up a racket and started to play.

“This is the first time I’ve felt very comfortable, somewhere like this where you have a lot of people, I’ve been to conferences before but it’s different to this.”

Founded by Anne-Marie Batson and Richard Sackey-Addo last year, the event on 27 June 2024 marked the second year of the Tennis Black List, supported by the LTA, Barclays and YC Sports.

In the run-up to The Championships at Wimbledon in nearby Roehampton, the awards recognise the contributions of individuals and organisations from grassroots level up to the professional game in Britain and internationally.

The Tennis Black List follows the example set by the successful and respected Football Black List, created by Leon Mann MBE and Rodney Hinds, and Rugby Black List, demonstrating the power that celebrating black excellence can achieve in sport.

The event was an opportunity to inspire the next generation in the tennis community, with the commitment shown by the winners on and off court.

Awards were handed out in eight categories across the evening at the ceremony, with several recipients present at the National Tennis Centre.

Ogbonna is an LTA level 3 certified coach and currently delivers sessions at Kelvingrove Park Tennis, in a public park.

He has been coaching in Glasgow for more than 10 years and has been involved in the game from more than 30 years.

Tennis Black List organisers Batson and Sackey-Addo said: “This was truly a night of inspiration and celebration of the black and mixed-black heritage communities’ excellence in tennis on and off the court.

“It’s been an honour to recognise a group of remarkable people who are the perfect embodiment of this.”

LTA Chief Executive Scott Lloyd said: “It was hugely inspiring to celebrate once again all the amazing successes and achievements of the black and mixed-black heritage communities – the 2024 winners are real role models to everyone.

“Our vision at the LTA is for tennis to be welcoming, enjoyable and inspiring to everyone. We know that seeing and celebrating the success of role models, inspires and encourages more people to get involved - whether as a player, a coach or a volunteer."

Serving excellence on and off the court: The Tennis Black List #TennisBlackList #2024TennisBlackList #TennisBlackList2024