Fresh off the back of a summer to remember on home soil, we caught up with Bonding to chat all about his journey into tennis, his experiences of training with some of the world’s best tennis stars and his memorable grass court season which included a title in Roehampton and a standout run at Wimbledon.

“I was born in the States in Washington D.C and moved to London when I was five,” Bonding said. “I've been playing tennis since I was about five or six and I’ve loved it ever since.

“I started playing at Duke's Meadows in Chiswick, and played there for some years, then in Chiswick Riverside and then back to Duke's Meadows, so that's where it kind of all started.

“My mum has always loved tennis - she didn't play, but she loved watching it. She used to live in New York, so would go to the US Open and loved watching the night tennis. She put me in tennis, as well as my brother - he stopped playing pretty early on, but I continued, so she was the main person who got me into the sport.”

It’s been a stellar season so far for the 18-year-old, who is supported by the LTA Pro Transition Programme - offering a range of support options to 16–22 year-old players to help facilitate a full-time coaching programme, optimise their competition programme, and development of physical readiness for tour level tennis.

Bonding is the two-time reigning 18U Lexus Junior National Championships title-winner and earlier in the year, made the semi-finals of the doubles in both junior Australian Open and Roland Garros.

The Brit also experienced his first taste of success on the ITF Tour back in February where he sealed his maiden pro-level title at the M15 Lannion in France.

However, it was during this year’s British grass court swing where he sparked his form alight. Bonding became the fourth British player to win the boys’ singles title at the Lexus British Open Roehampton – the biggest junior grass court event outside of Wimbledon, with past champions including Gael Monfils, Coco Gauff and Joao Fonseca.

He then backed up his run to the J300 singles title by becoming the first British player to make the boys’ doubles final at Wimbledon since 2011, alongside American partner Jagger Leach.

While the British, American duo eventually finished runners-up in a nail-biting final, they walked away with the invaluable experience of competing on No.1 Court at the All England Club – an opportunity few junior players get to enjoy.

“The big thing this year was playing on No.1 Court (at Wimbledon) - the (junior) doubles final was amazing. Just feeling the atmosphere, feeling the energy, that was the biggest experience for me this year.

“The walk to No.1 Court was interesting - we were kind of standing in that hallway for five to 10 minutes, and there was so much anticipation. Once I walked out onto court, I felt pretty comfortable.

“I've obviously watched Wimbledon many times and have seen No.1 Court but it’s a different view from (being on) the court. I remember looking down onto the court when Federer and Djokovic were playing and you’d look for their coaches and then suddenly it was my coaches and my family in there. It was really cool.”

Like many rising junior players, Bonding faces the challenging task of balancing his tennis with studying for his A-Levels and nurturing his hobbies away from the court.

The 18-year-old enjoys switching off by diving into a card game, a hobby inspired by his dad, and following his favourite Formula One team Red Bull Racing as they compete around the world.

However, the young star from Surrey is laser-focused on elevating his tennis as he makes the transition from the junior to pro-level. As well as getting experience competing in professional events as part of the LTA Performance Competitions Calendar throughout the season, Bonding’s training is also reaching new levels.

He regularly practices at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton where he is not only surrounded by his junior peers but also by elite players who have walked the same path and are on hand to offer advice to the new crop of British stars.

“I've been lucky enough to practice with Jack Draper quite a few times, especially a couple years ago when we did quite a few sessions.

“He's been great, gave me some tips on mentally how to deal with different situations. It's also great to feel his ball and his level, just so I can see the standard of where I'm going.

“To see him rise through the rankings especially this year, has been a big thing for me because I can see the way he works, and I can see also myself doing the same things. He's been working the same way as I think I am and if I keep going, I think I can try and get there.”

With the final stretch of the season fast approaching, Bonding is determined to finish the year on a high. From refining aspects of his game to competing at the final junior Grand Slam of the season, the Brit is feeling optimistic about what the next few months may hold.  

“Our plan is to just play mostly ITF Futures events for the rest of this year. I'm also playing the US Open juniors in about a month now. I'll play that and then I'll just kind of try and push my ATP Ranking as high as it can go this year.

“The goal is to try and finish top 500 this year, it’s going to be tough but I think we have the level to get there.”