ALREADY the holder of a record four Red Cliffs Lawn Tennis Club championships, Troy Kelly hopes to reach five.
The 25-year-old last year returned from an injury break to claim the men’s title after previously winning three consecutive tournaments from 2017 to 2019.
Going back-to-back again is on the agenda for Saturday’s 63rd annual tournament, but Kelly said the focus will be as much about enjoying the occasion.
“I just really enjoy the atmosphere of being out at the Red Cliffs, playing the regular visitors like the boys that come down from Broken Hill as well as the locals,” he said.
“I just like to set a challenge for myself each time but it’s all about the fun of it, it’s a sport I love playing.
“I don’t have any expectations on myself this year considering preparation has been a bit more limited, but it would be nice to to grab a fifth title.
“There’s plenty of good players to go up against, the Broken Hill boys like Pat (Reinck) and Nathan (Crabb) are always a challenge because you don’t see them again until the tournament each year.
“I think my serving is what I’ll probably rely on more.”
After starting tennis at age six, Kelly has been a regular in Sunraysia junior and senior tournaments, however, did take a year of absence in 2022 to recuperate from some injuries.
“I’d had some issues with my back and shoulder so I gave myself a bit of a break from competition and just stuck to more of the social game,” he said.
Kelly said the recent summer of tennis in Australia, including the Australian Open, seemed to have encouraged more players to take to the courts.
“I could tell there was a bit more enthusiasm not just for our sport, but for sport in general,” he said.
“We’ve got a lot more younger kids giving it a go which is great.”
The 63rd annual Red Cliffs Lawn Tennis Club Championships begin Friday night with the Twilight 60s competition, where the combined age of partners must be 60 or more.
Singles championships begins at 9am Saturday and double championships from 1.30pm, before the mixed double category on Sunday.
To enter email rclawntennisclub@hotmail.com.
