THE men\u2019s and women\u2019s Australian Open trophies sparkled in Ballarat last week, visiting Kryal Castle and the Ballarat Indoor Tennis Centre.<\/p>\n
The Norman Brooks Challenge Cup and Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup are currently on a twenty-stop tour of community clubs and tourist destinations across the state with Tennis Victoria, before the grand slam\u2019s next winners hold them proudly in January of 2022.<\/p>\n
Tennis Victoria\u2019s regional tennis manager Paul Senior said the tour, in partnership with Visit Victoria, is all about giving passionate followers and players of the sport, from the Murray River to Torquay, the opportunity to hold the cups, get a photo, and \u201cfeel like a grand slam champion.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey can enjoy their own moment, lifting the challenge and memorial trophies before they\u2019re presented at the 2022 Australian Open,\u201d Mr Senior said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re visiting community clubs and popular tourist destinations, such as the Grampians and the Goldfields, before they return back to Melbourne Park.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany prestigious players have lifted the trophies over time, and we hope to see Ash Barty lift the women\u2019s singles cup this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kryal Castle\u2019s general manager Bart Hamilton said it\u2019s a positive initiative supporting a state that\u2019s been \u201churting\u201d over the last two years, recovering from devastating bushfires and the pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegional Victoria needs all the help it can get. The opportunity to host the trophies from Australia\u2019s premiere international sporting event was too good to miss out on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s great to get some more promotion out there for Kryal Castle and the Australian Open, and I got a personal photo with the trophies which is a highlight of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seven-time grand slam doubles champion John Fitzgerald attended the Ballarat Indoor Tennis Centre event as a tour ambassador, where approximately 200 people gathered for a family evening and a look at the trophies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE men\u2019s and women\u2019s Australian Open trophies sparkled in Ballarat last week, visiting Kryal Castle and the Ballarat Indoor Tennis Centre. The Norman Brooks Challenge Cup and Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup are currently on a twenty-stop tour of community clubs and tourist destinations across the state with Tennis Victoria, before the grand slam\u2019s next winners […]<\/p>\n