Police are investigating allegations a junior British tennis player was poisoned during the Wimbledon Championships to ruin her chances in the tournament.

Gabriella Taylor, 18, was left “close to death” from what her family initially assumed was a mystery virus, spending four days in intensive care after becoming unwell during a girls’ quarter-final match.

But doctors treating her diagnosed a strain of leptospirosis – a bacteria carried by rat urine that can cause organ failure.

Scotland Yard is now investigating claims Miss Taylor was deliberately poisoned during the world-famous tennis tournament, possibly by a rival or criminal betting syndicate.

Her mother, Milena Taylor, told the Daily Telegraph her daughter had been in good shape and playing well in the early stages.

“She got to the quarter-final, but then the next thing she is lying in intensive care close to death,” she added.

“When the infection team explained what it was we could not believe it.”

The family believes the occurrence of the bacteria, which is extremely rare in Britain, could not have been an accident as Miss Taylor moved between clean environments at the National Tennis Centre and All England Club.

The Metropolitan Police said officers in the London borough of Merton were investigating an allegation of poisoning with the “intent to endanger life” or cause grievous bodily harm.

The Ten Best Wimbledon Finals Show all 10 1 /10 The Ten Best Wimbledon Finals The Ten Best Wimbledon Finals GETTY IMAGES The Ten Best Wimbledon Finals 1970: Margaret Court beat Billie Jean King 14-12, 11-9

This was a meeting of two giants of the women's game. Margaret Court was to play in one more Wimbledon final, losing to Evonne Goolagong the following year, but this was arguably the Australian's peak. King had already won three Wimbledon titles, though she had lost to Ann Jones a year earlier. Both players were carrying injuries – Court had a troublesome ankle while King had to have a knee operation the following week – but you would not have guessed it from the power and passion of their play. The match lasted nearly two and a half hours and the first set was the longest ever in a Wimbledon women's singles final. GETTY IMAGES The Ten Best Wimbledon Finals 1975: Arthur Ashe beat Jimmy Connors 6-1, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4

Connors, the thrusting young American, had looked almost invincible, but Ashe, his compatriot, was a tactical genius, one of the best thinkers in the sport. Connors' game was all about power, aggression, speed and counter-punching, but Ashe bemused him with the variation of his play and the guile of his stroke-making. Ashe varied the pace of his first serves to devastating effect and kept slowing down the rallies. When Connors took the third set it seemed that the tide might have turned, but Ashe kept believing in his strategy and took the fourth to secure a memorable victory. GETTY IMAGES The Ten Best Wimbledon Finals 1977: Virginia Wade beat Betty Stove 4-6, 6-3, 6-1

It might not have been the best of finals from a connoisseur's point of view, but has there ever been a more romantic winner? In the Queen's Jubilee year it was totally fitting that there should be a home winner. Wade had won the US Open in 1968 and the Australian Open in 1972, but most thought she was past her peak at 31, even if she had reached the Wimbledon semi-finals the previous year. Stove made the better start in the final, but Wade fought back for a memorable victory. GETTY IMAGES The Ten Best Wimbledon Finals 1980: Bjorn Borg beat John McEnroe 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7, 8-6

Until 2008, this might have been the choice as the most exciting final in Wimbledon history. McEnroe had hardly enchanted the Centre Court crowd with his previous behaviour, but he won them over here with a brilliant display. The extraordinary fourth set tie-break lasted for 22 minutes and 34 points. When McEnroe won it many thought that the momentum had shifted decisively, but Borg was a wonderful competitor and fought back to win. GETTY IMAGES The Ten Best Wimbledon Finals 1990: Stefan Edberg beat Boris Becker 6-2, 6-2, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4

Edberg and Becker enjoyed a wonderful rivalry at Wimbledon, contesting three finals in succession. This was the third and arguably the best. Both were wonderfully attacking players who went for their shots and charged into the net at every opportunity. Becker looked to be on his way to victory when he recovered from two sets down to square the match and then took an early lead in the decider, but the steely Edberg fought back to register his most famous victory. GETTY IMAGES The Ten Best Wimbledon Finals 2001: Goran Ivanisevic beat Pat Rafter 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6, 9-7

There has probably never been a more unlikely winner of Wimbledon than Ivanisevic. The veteran Croatian needed a wild card to play in the tournament but proceeded to march through the field. In the semi-finals he beat Tim Henman over five sets in a match that took three days because of rain delays. The world No 125 then beat Rafter over three hours in front of a boisterous Centre Court crowd on the Monday, the match having been held over because of the weather. GETTY IMAGES The Ten Best Wimbledon Finals 2005: Venus Williams beat Lindsay Davenport 4-6, 7-6, 9-7

Williams won her third Wimbledon title after the longest women's final, regaining the crown she had last worn in 2001. The match lasted two hours and 45 minutes. Williams had gone into the match on a high after beating Maria Sharapova, the 2004 champion, in the semi-finals, but it was Davenport who took the first set. Towards the end of the final Davenport was struggling with a back strain, but she served for the match at 6-5 in the second set and had a match point in the third. Williams double-faulted on her first match point but secured the title when Davenport put a forehand in the net. GETTY IMAGES The Ten Best Wimbledon Finals 2007: Roger Federer beat Rafael Nadal 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 2-6, 6-2

Federer equalled Bjorn Borg's modern-day record of five successive Wimbledon titles, beating Nadal, his greatest rival, after three and three-quarter hours of glorious tennis. The win extended Federer's record unbeaten runs to 54 matches on grass and to 34 at Wimbledon, but this was the first time during those sequences that he had been stretched to five sets. Federer served 24 aces to Nadal's one, but for the most part it was a perfectly balanced contest. Even in the final set Federer twice had to come back from 15-40 down on his own serve before making the decisive break. GETTY IMAGES The Ten Best Wimbledon Finals 2008: Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7

The greatest final in Wimbledon history ended in near darkness at 9.15pm with Nadal ending Federer's five-year reign as champion. At four hours and 48 minutes it was the longest Wimbledon final ever, beating by 32 minutes Jimmy Connors' 1982 victory over John McEnroe. Two rain breaks meant that the match finished nearly seven hours after it had begun. Federer saved two match points in the fourth set tie-break but also went within two points of becoming the first man for 60 years to win a Wimbledon final from two sets down. Nadal, however, broke serve at 7-7 in the final set thanks to two loose Federer forehands and then served out for victory. GETTY IMAGES

“The allegation was received by officers on 5 August with the incident alleged to have taken place at an address in Wimbledon between 1-10 July,” a spokesperson said.

“The victim was taken ill on 6 July. It is unknown where or when the poison was ingested.

“The victim, an 18-year-old woman, received hospital treatment and is still recovering.”

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No arrests have been made.

Miss Taylor, from Southampton, is now on the road to recovery and has resumed her training.

On Wednesday she tweeted a picture of herself on a tennis court with the caption: “So happy to be back on court!! Taking it step by step!”