by Nazrin Wilkinson

Tennis pro Gabriella Taylor is in intensive care with the illness that ended her Junior Wimbledon dream.

The 18 year-old was fighting fit and on top form when she was suddenly brought down by a mysterious illness that forced her to retire and relinquish her chance to join an elite list of British Junior Wimbledon title holders. 

Taylor valiantly continued to play her matches despite developing symptoms of a sore throat, high temperature and more.

Finally she was forced to withdraw from the quarter-finals with Kayla Day (USA) leading by a set (4-6, 1-1).

Clearly off form, it was apparent from her demeanour on court that she was unwell and unable to continue.

The seriousness of her condition became apparent later that evening when a doctor was to called out, as the player's symptoms worsened.

The Southampton ace is now in isolation in intensive care at the University of Southampton General Hospital and undergoing a battery of blood tests to determine the cause of her illness.

Previous to this, Taylor was well on the road to victory, having beaten the number two seed Rebeka Masarova of Switzerland, 6-1 6-1 in the last 16.

However only days later she was hooked up to a drip and fighting a severe infection on the day she planned to collect her Junior Wimbledon Title.

Taylor's parents Paul and Gabriella have kept a vigil at their daughter's bed and are shocked to see their daughter so unwell: They said: “We were totally devastated to see our beautiful daughter laying in a hospital bed in an isolation ward on the day she could have picked up a Wimbledon title.

"In a cruel twist of fate she has been robbed forever of her dream to win the Girl's Junior Wimbledon Crown.

“Something that she dedicated her life to over a period of 14 years. It seems so unjust for a wonderful human being like Gabi to be cut down at the pinnacle of her junior career.”

Doctors are carrying out more tests to determine what bought Taylor down. On the run up to the grass court season, she had travelled to Mexico and Uzbekistan and may have picked up a bug on her travels.