HOLLYWOOD actor Ray Winstone wants Ryan Peniston to be his next blockbuster success.
The legendary movie hardman has been helping Peniston since September.
And he cannot wait to see the Wakering ace on the biggest stage possible in tennis.
Winstone told Echosport: “Ryan’s got such heart and bottle and for him to fulfil his dream of getting to Wimbledon is brilliant.
“Forget about me, this is all about Ryan and I’ll definitely be looking to get down to Wimbledon when I’m back home to support him if I can.
“Ryan really is exceeding expectations and long may that continue.”
Winstone may be best known for his acting roles but he is also the co-founder of Integral Sports Management who look after Peniston.
The company was founded by Gary Petitt back in February 2020.
And their involvement with Peniston was instigated by the tennis player himself.
“Ryan came to us via our website,” explained Petitt.
“He just emailed in and it was wonderful.
“I had prostate cancer about 10 years ago now and we try to do a lot for cancer research charities.
“I always try and link that into what we do and that’s another reason why Ryan, who had cancer himself, is such a good fit for us.
“He’s a lovely lad, he’s out of Essex just like us and every part of his story is just amazing.”
Interest in Peniston has been ramping up during the grass court season which has seen the 26-year-old reach four quarter finals in quick succession.
And Petitt is pleased to be advising Peniston and several other aspiring sports stars after seeing sports agencies himself first hand.
“All of this was all borne out of an idea between Ray and myself,” explained Petitt.
“My boy Casey is a second year pro at Luton but he was at West Ham when we started this.
“Ray and I used to go and watch him and we used to see agents going up and down the line talking to the parents.
“Every part of it wasn’t what we liked.
“My boy went to Millwall and we saw the same thing and we just thought could we make a difference in this game?
And Winstone is pleased to have so many talented youngsters on board.
“We’re not going to start getting the top pros because we’re a young agency,” said Winstone.
“We made the decision we will start with grass roots and build our stable of people up, whatever sport they’re in.
“We’ve got golfers, footballers, tennis players, jockeys, motor racing drivers, all sports really and we’re always accessible to them.
“Most agencies are there when everything is fine and dandy but when it isn’t that’s when you need the likes of Gary, myself and our back up team.
“We’ve all had knock backs in our own careers and will always look to help those we’re looking after.”
And Petitt revealed interest is now really starting to ramp up around Peniston.
“Everything has started happening now for Ryan which we are delighted about,” said Petitt.
“We’ve had a lot of interest from sponsors and cancer charities which Ryan has been a massive advocate for.
“We will do everything we can for him.
“But Ryan, with his back story and the way he’s playing, will be big, big news if he keeps it going.”
Peniston will face Henri Laaksonen in the first round at Wimbledon on Monday with the match taking place on court number three.
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