A former UK tennis number one is in search of a future star player in India this month.

Four-times Wimbledon semi-finalist Tim Henman is on the road with All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) head coach Dan Bloxham to seek out young tennis stars as part of a bid to boost junior tennis in India.

The team are travelling all over the country hosting tournaments and coaching clinics alongside tournament director and Ross Hutchins’ father Paul, with the regional winners going head-to-head at the finals in Delhi in April.

Wimbledon Times:

Tim Henman in action in India. Picture: AELTC

Four of the young finalists will be invited to play on the world-famous grass courts in Church Road, in August.

Until last year the Road to Wimbledon was a UK-only tournament, but last year saw India host the first Wimbledon branded tennis events staged outside the UK as the Road to Wimbledon arrived in Delhi and Mumbai.

A spokesman said the move paid immediate dividends when 14-year-old Siddhant Banthia, from Pune in western India, beat off competition from the UK and India to win the boys' singles title.

Henman, who kick-started his career in India in 1994 with three successive tournament wins on the Indian satellite circuit, said: "This feels like a watershed moment for junior tennis in India. It was fantastic to be part of the pilot scheme last year and to have seen Siddhant win the boys' singles title just shows the huge potential there is here in India.

"The Road to Wimbledon could provide a real springboard for a new generation of talent in India. It certainly worked for Siddhant last year and I’m sure there are many more like him."

The Road to Wimbledon is a tournament for players aged under 14 years-old.

Richard Lewis, chief executive of the AELTC, said: "Last year’s events were a great success and, as we had hoped, the prospect of playing on Wimbledon’s grass tennis courts proved a major inspiration for the young players and their coaches."

AELTC and HSBC have teamed up with the All India Tennis Association (AITA) to bring the Road to Wimbledon junior tournament back to India for a further three years to 2017.

Read the team's blog at www.wimbledon.com.