July 1960 – 1 March 2021
It is with great sadness that Tennis ACT acknowledges the recent passing of Steve Maloney – an outstanding tennis player, coach, mentor and contributor to tennis in Canberra.
From a young age Steve made his mark as a player with prodigious talent. From the age of eleven in 1971, when Steve won the Ron Crossley Cup for Boys Under 11 Resident Singles and the A Grade Boys Junior Pennant with North Woden Tennis Club, Steve made an indelible mark on local tennis.
Every relevant junior cup or shield held by Tennis ACT from the 1970s bears the name Steve Maloney. Coached by Charlie Hollis and strongly supported by his father Clem (himself later a Life Member of the ACT Tennis Association), Steve quickly rose through junior ranks.
By the age of sixteen Steve was the No 1 ranked junior in Canberra. In 1977 he won the Australian 19/U Hardcourt title and was runner-up in the Australian 18/U Grass Court Championships.
In 1978 he accepted a scholarship to Georgia University, becoming (with fellow Canberran Peter Lloyd) the first freshman to make their collegiate team. Success over the next three years in college tennis, notably in winning the U21 Sugar Bowl Singles in New Orleans, resulted in Steve tackling the challenging professional circuit, achieving world rankings in singles and doubles and competing in the Australian Open.
Back in Canberra in 1981 Steve established himself as
the No 1 locally ranked ACT male for more than ten years, with three Resident
Singles titles – 1988, 1991 and 1994 – and three times runner-up. He was
regularly undefeated in singles pennants and in interstate challenge cup
competitions.
In 1998 Steve was a member of the ACT Veterans 35+ team which finished second in the Australian Team Competition. Later in 1998, at the 75th Anniversary of the ACT Tennis Association, Steve was one of six finalists, nominated for ‘Outstanding Male Player’ over the first 75 years of the Association.
In addition to his record as a player, Steve was a coach who young players looked up with respect and admiration. Be it at his local club of North Woden Tennis Club or through ACT Junior Squads, Steve provided a coaching and mentoring platform for the future careers of juniors such as Andrew Berger, Joshua Busteed, Ben Ellwood, Todd Larkham, Alun Jones, and Nathan Price amongst many others.
Nathan Price reflected on Steve’s contribution “Steve was a real character with an infectious personality. He was so influential in the development of many of our best junior players, and he really did positively impact so many people in our tennis community. We were all extremely lucky to have such a great guy around us, and everyone should be very grateful for the time they got to spent with him”.
The staff and Board of Tennis ACT remember with gratitude the willing, unselfish contribution Steve made to junior development and to Canberra tournaments as a player, coach, mentor and volunteer.
The funeral will be held Friday, 12th March, at 10am. It will be held at Gold Creek Chapel, followed by the burial service at Woden Cemetery.
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