A teenage tennis player who “died” for 11 minutes after collapsing during a match is to fulfil his dream of walking out onto Wimbledon's Centre Court.

James Doherty, 14, stopped breathing and his lips turned blue after a heart attack at the Hazelwood Tennis Academy in Enfield. Doctors believed he had little chance of surviving.

Now the Standard has learned that James has been chosen to flip the coin to decide who serves first in the men's final on Sunday.

The schoolboy spoke today of his “dream come true” and said he most wanted a final between Roger Federer and Andy Murray. He said: “I've always dreamed of getting on Centre Court and now it is going to happen. I can't wait to get in front of the crowd.”

James was a county tennis champion and one of Britain's most promising young players when the rare, undiagnosed heart condition struck during a game last September. He was saved by father-of-four Alan Percy, who rushed over to resuscitate him despite having no first aid training, and fitness trainer Karen Browne. The pair carried out CPR until paramedics arrived and used a defibrillator to kick-start his heart.

Medical staff at Great Ormond Street hospital thought he was unlikely to survive because his heart had stopped for more than 10 minutes. They told his parents they did not want to give them “false hope”, and were amazed when he squeezed his mother's hand.James, from Codicote in Hitchin, was 13 at the time — making him one of the youngest people in the UK to have survived a cardiac arrest.

He suffers from a hereditary disorder called Long QT syndrome. He will be on medication for the rest of his life and cannot play competitive sport, wrecking his hopes of becoming a professional tennis player. James was given the honour after his name was put forward by the charity Cardiac Risk In The Young.

Meanwhile, Andy Murray fans converged on Wimbledon today. Friends Alice Bell and Natalie Payne, who set up camp yesterday morning, dressed as Native Americans. Alice, 17, a student from Winchester, said: “We got Centre Court tickets. It's our first Wimbledon so we thought we would go crazy.” Natalie, also 17, added: “We work in a pub and we've been saving our tips all year, so it's paid off.”