YOU would struggle to find a higher level of competition in Sunraysia than the Mildura International, but it’s more than just tennis that the event brings to the region.
It’s a special event and it’s good to be back after a four-year hiatus, were effectively the words of Mildura International tournament director Jason Simmons.
Mr Simmons said of the 140 or so competitors at this year’s event, the majority brought people along with them.
“A lot of them are here for most of the week and they’re not here by themselves, they’re with their coaches and their entourages,” he said.
“It’s great to bring so many people to a place like Mildura … everything is so close for players including accommodation, we a have a long history here so it’s just a great place to come from our perspective.”
And Mr Simmons is confident that with cooler conditions forecast later this week, that crowd numbers will only increase
“It’s been hotter than last time from memory … but we can manage that, we can use different courts, which is the fantastic part about this facility, there’s so many courts that are in excellent condition,” Mr Simmons said.
“It’s amazing to see how far they’ve come since the floods … I mentioned it to a few of the international competitors and they said they didn’t know about it at all.
“After showing them the mark on the building, they were quite shocked about it.”
Mildura councillor for sport and recreation Ian Arney said it was fantastic to see tournament up and running again.
“I’ve spent a lot of time, as a kid and a young adult, playing with my family here … so seeing those same courts being used by these extremely talented players is great,” he said.
“With the floods, it took a little bit to get back up to scratch, but now it’s all looking pretty good again.”
While the hot weather is not expected to be as severe by the end of the week, Simmons said spectators were welcome to come down and enjoy the shaded and air-conditioned areas, rather than taking centre court.
Function tickets for Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, which run from noon, are still available and for more information people should contact the Mildura Lawn Tennis Club.
Finals for both men and women competition’s will be played this Sunday.
