Conquering hero Henry Searle vowed to savour the moment after defeating Yaroslav Demin on Court No. 1 to end Great Britain’s 61-year wait for a boys’ singles champion at Wimbledon.

Searle prevailed 6-4 6-4 to become the first British boy since Stanley Matthews – the son of legendary footballer Sir Stanley Matthews – in 1962 to top the boys’ podium on the famous grass-courts of SW19.

Only three British boys – Miles Kasiri in 2004, Liam Broady in 2011 and Jack Draper in 2018 – have reached a singles final here in the last half-century, with Searle triumphing where others have failed.

He is also the first British junior to win a singles title here since Laura Robson in 2008 and the momentous occasion was played out in front of a partisan crowd fuelled by Henry Searle’s ever-growing Barmy Army.

Topping the podium capped a remarkable week for the 17-year-old which has featured a string of impressive victories against a host of talented and highly-rated players such as Juan Carlos Prado Angelo, Arthur Gea, Joao Fonseca and Cooper Williams.

It is easy to say now but looking back there has been a sense of destiny for Searle, whose Wimbledon campaign has gained considerable attention, featuring amongst other things a good luck message from Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Julen Lopetegui. All in all, it has been a crazy week.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ITF Tennis (@itftennis)

“It’s an amazing feeling,” said Searle, who is set to rise considerably in the junior world rankings from his current slot of No. 27. “I’ll definitely try to enjoy the moment over the next few days and weeks, then I will get back to it and try to win some more titles.

“There were obviously a few nerves flying about before the match, which is to be expected when playing on such a prestigious court and at such a prestigious tournament. I let it sink in during the warm-up and then tried to focus on the match and myself after that.

“The Barmy Army have been exceptional from the start of the week until the end. Hopefully they can continue to be like that in the coming years.”

A significant weapon in Searle’s armoury is an explosive serve, which at times today clocked in at 130mph. Demin, who was part of the Russia team that topped the Davis Cup Juniors podium in 2021, failed to neutralise the left-hander’s trump card.

“It’s a crucial, crucial part of my game being quite a big build,” said Searle. “It definitely won me a lot of my matches this week and it is something I have been working really hard on the past couple of years with my coaching team. It’s starting to pay off a little bit.

“I had quite a big growth spurt during lockdown. The serve wasn’t really too much of a weapon before that. It took a while to get used to the longer limbs and a lack of coordination, but it seems okay now.”

Coming from the Black Country, Searle’s love for Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club has often been cited this week and the hope now is the teenager will be allowed to parade his newly-acquired trophy at his beloved Molineux.

“I hope so,” he added. That would be pretty cool. I try and get to as many games as possible when I’m home. Obviously, it’s pretty difficult when travelling and playing tennis but I love going and being with all my mates when I get the chance.”

There was also a suggestion, perhaps tongue-in-cheek, that the famous knoll at Wimbledon should be renamed Henry Hill.

“It’s not really in my control about the hill being renamed,” he said. “It would be pretty cool, but I don’t think I’m good enough just yet.”

On a more serious note, Searle’s immediate future would appear to include greater exposure to the professional ranks, having so far contested only six ITF World Tennis Tour events following his debut in January 2022.

“I think there's the jump to the men's game that needs to be done a little bit quicker,” he added. “Hopefully that can happen now. I'll continue to work hard and hopefully play at the sort of level I did today in the men's game.”

However that transition goes, he will forever have the memories of his memorable and historic Wimbledon triumph.

Click here for a full list of singles and doubles results from the Junior Championships, Wimbledon