THE new tennis season swings back into action in Mildura on Saturday with competitions for juniors and seniors on Australia’s premier grasscourts.
Mildura Lawn Tennis Club’s board decided this week to kick-start play for 2020 after ticking all of Tennis Victoria’s COVID protocols.
“What the board had to consider was, how well prepared are we to conduct tennis; what do the new rules from Tennis Victoria mean for us; could we run our competitions under the new protocols; and were we keen to play?” the club’s president, Chris Hobart, said.
“The answer was ‘yes’, and we’ll have all the protocols in place and be ready to go from Saturday.”
The juniors will be first on court, from 8.30am, ahead of the seniors at 1.30pm.
The club’s coach, Bill Madafferi, will also be conducting Hot Shots sessions from 8.30am-9.30am each Saturday at a cost of $5 per player.
Madafferi will teach juniors the basic strokes, how to score and tennis etiquette as he prepares them to play in competitions.
Twilight social tennis is commencing on Wednesday, and a weekly corporate tennis competition will be starting soon.
Registrations for all levels of play can be made at tennismildura.com.au.
The welcome return to action comes as the 101-year-old club sets its sights on hosting its signature Pro Tour event in March.
“We’ve had some early conversations with Tennis Australia and Tennis Victoria, and their information to us is that we should plan to go ahead with the Mildura Grand International, which, aside from the tennis, includes a ladies’ lunch and other events,” Hobart said.
“We’re really looking forward to running the Pro Tour next year and the big Easter tournament, as well as our club championships later this year.”
The club is also aiming for a $150,000 upgrade to its hardcourts, getting more solar panels installed on-site, and additional shade cover.
