Paul StretfordThe eight-year-old girl dubbed the British Serena Williams has received a huge boost from an unlikely source: Wayne Rooney's agent.
Jhonayah Fletchman, who comes from Manchester's notorious Moss Side, will be benefit from extra coaching after the £100,000 from agent Paul Stretford.
The budding tennis star has already beaten players several years older than her after taking the game up while aged just five on the courts at Alexandra Park.
And after she began winning junior tournaments she was spotted by coaches, with former LTA coach Mark Cowley saying last year that he had, "never seen a kid of Jhonayah's age with that ability. She is light years ahead of other children. You dream about finding a child like that."
Funding for her coaching has been a problem despite LTA grants for equipment, with mother Elevereen once despairing of her daughter's hopes of hitting the big time considering that she was, "up against youngsters from well-off families who can afford to pay for 20 hours of training a week."
Now, though, it seems that those concerns over funding are over and Jhonayah has a bright future in the game.
"Jhonayah is a very, very special talent," said multi-millionaire Stretford, who donated the money as part of a grass roots development scheme that he is championing in Moss Side. "But talent cannot thrive without the money to help it get where it needs to go."