EVERY once in a while you hear a tale of such dedication to a sport, you have to hope that the little fellow fulfils each of his vivid dreams. Josh Sapwell is 7 years old, far too young to know if he will become a star, but that he is a starlet there is no doubt.

He is so immersed in tennis (well, a bit into Chelsea as well) and plays with such a spirit for as long as his legs can keep moving that Neil Claxton, his coach, wanted to relate such dedication to a wider audience. At 8 o’clock on a freezing morning this week, Josh was on one of three floodlit courts at Flitwick Tennis Club, bashing balls for all his eye-popping worth. John Cassidy, the Times photographer, said that he had never seen a kid quite like him. He ought to be used by the Lawn Tennis Association as a poster boy for the joys of tennis.

Josh was back out that lunchtime and again in the evening. It was not an unusual day. “He has such an endless supply of energy,” Claxton said, “and we have to hold him back sometimes, otherwise he’d be out there five days a week.

“I’ve seen a lot of young kids over the years whose parents reckoned they were sliced bread as prospects in tennis, but Josh is as good as I’ve ever seen. He is everything I hoped he might be and more.”

And this is from a county, Bedfordshire, with the sorry total of two indoor courts. The Sapwells are fortunate that the members at Flitwick are happy to let juniors play as often as they can, a salutary lesson to those with weightier reputations who believe it is beneath them to give kids more court time. Little is being left to chance with Josh. He has a fitness coach as well as Claxton’s supervision. These things cost money.

“Where do we go from here?” Sarah Sapwell, his mother, said. “We have given Josh all the opportunities we can and he wants to succeed in tennis so much, but it is difficult as far as the finances are concerned. We don’t push. He has to want to play and while he does we’ll support him as best we can.”

Josh has a racket bag signed by Tim Henman from a meeting three years ago. His idol is Andre Agassi “because I like people who win and he wins nearly every time”. Quite a kid who, it must be hoped, has quite a future.