Tennis tourneys on the way

AUSTRALIA’S summer of tennis will kick off locally this January with two tournaments set for the Bendigo Tennis Centre.

The Bendigo Tennis Association recently announced it will host the ATP Challenger 80 and ITF Women’s 60 from 2 to 9 January.

Executive officer of BTA James Rouel said the event will be the biggest tournament in Bendigo since the 2020 Canberra International, which was relocated with short notice.

“It’s very exciting and it’s amazing for Bendigo, it’s going to be an international tournament right in our backyard,” he said.

“Unfortunately, we had no events last year due to COVID, but the year before we were given the Canberra one at very short notice due to the bushfires, which proved to Tennis Australia and the higher body that we’re up to the challenge and we can definitely hold major events.

“As a result, they’ve rewarded us this year with an even bigger event, and we’re going to get some fantastic players right here in Bendigo.”

The tournaments will see some of the world’s top talents compete for up to $155,000 in prize money in the lead up to the Australian Open.

Mr Rouel said more people are playing tennis now than ever before, with over 800 players at the centre each week, and this event will entertain all tennis fans.

“Summer’s obviously our peak season, we’re very lucky we’ve got competitions and everything running again at the moment, which is fantastic after a very quiet winter,” he said.

“Tennis numbers are up due to COVID overall across Australia, people are finding it a great alternative as it’s socially distanced.

“Numbers are up and events like these just keep people interested and involved in the sport, it’s the best advertising for tennis in Bendigo.

“In a way COVID’s been kind of good for tennis, it’s been a good chance to reset and find out what we can do to grow again, and we’re heading in the right direction.”

He expects thousands of spectators to flock to the Bendigo Regional Tennis Centre for the tournament.

“We had 8000 through in four days’ notice with the Canberra International, with a good month notice we’re hoping to get more than that through and throw on something really special for Bendigo,” he said.