The conveyor belt of doubles talent from England is ever reliable, and Hope Warner may be a name fans will become accustom to in the coming years. 

Warner, 18, won the gold at the U17 European Championships three years ago in the mixed doubles with Rory Easton. This catapulted their names into the top prospects coming out of England. Last year, Warner reached the final of the Welsh International in both women’s and mixed doubles. Speaking about how she is dealing with the current situation, she says. 

- Life is really strange at the moment, even for non-competitors. It has been a challenge to find things to keep me busy, but it’s been really nice to relax and spend some time at home with my family.

With a large doubles talent pool in England, tweaks to partnerships are common. In 2020, Warner has been partnering Matthew Clare in mixed doubles and Jessica Hopton in level doubles. Explaining these changes, Warner states. 

- I made the decision to change partners for both disciplines this year, primarily so that I could gain experience not just playing against other seniors but by playing with seniors who had already experienced the senior game for a couple of years. That way I felt I could learn the most. Previously I had only played senior tournaments with junior partners.

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Patience

When looking at the top doubles pairs in the world, there is a growing trend of specialising in one event. Especially when the training and tournament schedule can be so demanding at this level. Talking about if this is an option for Warner in the future, Warner answers. 

- At the minute, I still very much enjoy both women’s and mixed doubles. I am focusing on trying to stay on top of my level in both events and can’t say that there’s one I significantly enjoy more than the other!

Like many players of a similar age in England, Warner balances her sporting commitments with study, with the view to one day going full-time at the national training centre in Milton Keynes. Sharing her plans for the coming years, Warner says.

- I am really enjoying my time down at Loughborough University at the minute, as I have my women’s doubles partner down there and many others, who really help with my progression and they have some very good patience with me! So, I plan to stay where I am for now but will keep reassessing things as time goes on.