MALKY THOMSON hopes a move Stateside will allow son Connor the chance to make a name for himself as Scotland’s next tennis star.

The 18-year-old is preparing to head to South Carolina to begin a scholarship as he takes a significant step forward in his career.

Thomson made it through two qualifying rounds before losing in the last 32 at the Australian Junior Open last month and also reached the last 16 of the doubles competition.

Now his father, who is Head of the Intermediate Academy at Rangers, has backed him to make the most of the opportunity across the pond.

Thomson told SportTimes: “I am delighted with him, he is a very driven individual, much like the Rangers players. They need to believe that they are going to win medals and Connor is the same.

“He is a real different breed. He loves his sport and nothing will stop him achieving his dream. Financially it is a big strain, though, and Andy Black at Ellmoll Builders has been a real help to Connor in that regard.

“At Rangers, the club take care of the finances of the boys and the development process is made easier because there is no financial burden.

“With Connor, it is a bit different and if you are not fully funded, it is hard. His journey has been that he has not been fully funded and he has had to scratch and fight, but he has proven that he will come out on top.

“He is going to go to South Carolina University in August, he has got a four-year scholarship which is fully funded, which is great. We are thankful for the guys out there, they have been plotting his progress since he was ten years of age and he is now 18.

“He had a lot of offers at the time but he was made to feel really welcome there and he loved the environment.

“It is a bit like here, the environment is good. So I am really looking forward to seeing what he can do with those people round about him.

“He got a good start in the game of tennis with Ana and Cesar Ferrer, they have got a tennis academy in Dubai. I was out working there for three years and he started his tennis journey there.

“Cesar is very passionate, very driven as well and I think that really helped him at the start of his journey and now he is set for that next step.”