She is one of Great Britain’s most successful Olympians but she’s never shy of trying her hand at something new, and at the weekend, Victoria Pendleton donned her tennis whites and got in the Wimbledon spirit.

While the iconic SW19 showpiece entered finals weekend, former multiple Olympic, World and Commonwealth track cycling champion Pendleton was at David Lloyd Beaconsfield as part of the nationwide Jaguar David Lloyd Takeover.

Implemented at 42 David Lloyd Clubs across the country, 100 free family day passes were handed out to allow children and families to experience free coaching sessions, encouraging active, healthier lifestyles through tennis.

Responsiveness was also the theme of the day, with everyone over the age of 18 who tried their luck on the Batak human performance trainer – a machine that tests reaction speeds with a series of target lights – entered into a prize draw to win Wimbledon men’s final tickets.

Pendleton, who also took on the Batak herself, got involved with the men, women and children training with David Lloyd coaches as part of the takeover and believes that the scheme demonstrated the benefit of hitting your local court. 

“Jaguar and David Lloyd offering free training sessions and passes, is a great opportunity for people to experience something new and get involved for the first time – you never know, it might be the start of a long-term habit,”

“When there’s a major sporting event like Wimbledon on the television, people do tend to feel inspired to get out there and give that sport a go.

“Jaguar and David Lloyd getting together to make the most of this opportunity because people are so inspired, especially when we have such great British hopes.

“It’s not about being excellent at it either – it’s just fun trying, and participating, and it’s a great opportunity to start a healthy lifestyle habit.

“With the success in sporting events over the last decade, Britain can quite honestly say that we are one of the best sporting nations in the world, so I say get out there and give it a go because you could be the next sports star in training.”

In keeping with Wimbledon tradition, free pots of strawberries and cream were also on offer while a host of Jaguar performance vehicles, including the World Car of the Year 2017 – the Jaguar F-Pace – and the Jaguar XF Sportbrake, were available to test drive.

Cycling legend Pendleton, who launched a successful career as a jockey following her retirement from the track, hopes that those who took part during the takeover have caught the tennis bug.

She added: “It’s not about being excellent – it’s just the fun in trying and participating.

“It’s never too late to take up a sport, so even if it’s something that’s crossed your mind and you think: ‘maybe it’s not for me’, I say give it a go because you never know unless you try.”