NINE-year-old Buronga tennis player Nicola DeMaria had the experience of a lifetime last Thursday, when she got a behind-the-scenes look at the Australian Open.
Nicola was one of eight young ANZ Future Champs from across Australia who were selected for an exclusive Australian Open experience through the ANZ Tennis Hot Shots program.
The VIP experience included a training session on Rod Laver Arena with former tennis star Alicia Molik, a behind-the-scenes tour of the open and tickets to watch some of the world’s best tennis players battling it out on court.
Nicola also got to meet wheelchair tennis star Dylan Alcott and came away with an autograph and photo with Venus Williams.
Nicola is the youngest of three children and both siblings Anthony and Bianca have also gone to Melbourne through the Hot Shots program.
“They’ve all been lucky enough to experience it,” mum Carole DeMaria said. “It’s pretty amazing, we’re very lucky and very thankful as well.”
