Melbourne, VIC, 18 November 2019 | tennis.com.au

In an outstanding year for Australian tennis, a group of five formidable players — Dylan Alcott, Ashleigh Barty, Alex de Minaur, John Millman and Ajla Tomljanovic – have been nominated for the prestigious Newcombe Medal.

The Newcombe Medal is the highest distinction at the Australian Tennis Awards, held on 2 December at the Crown Palladium. The 10th edition of the annual awards celebrate the work and achievements of the tennis family, from club volunteers to emerging juniors, leading coaches and the nation’s elite players.

The Newcombe Medal, named after tennis legend John Newcombe who won seven Grand Slam singles titles in the 1960s and ‘70s, is awarded annually to Australia’s most outstanding elite tennis player and ambassador for the sport.

It is presented alongside 14 other awards to recognise the outstanding contribution of the wider tennis community.

Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said the Australian Tennis Awards were a great opportunity to take time out to stop and reflect on an outstanding year in the sport of tennis.

“The Newcombe Medal, Australian Tennis Awards is a fantastic opportunity for us to get together as a sport and as a tennis family to honour the contribution of our tennis community, both on and off the court,” Tiley said.

“It is a time for us to celebrate and recognise the excellent achievements of our elite athletes, but also the hard work and dedication that occurs behind the scenes from our coaches, clubs, schools, volunteers and communities over the past 12 months.”

“I’m excited to be able to share the stories of our local heroes, and to call out the effort and professionalism of everyone who has helped to ignite the country’s passion for tennis.”

2019 Newcombe Medal nominees season highlights

DYLAN ALCOTT (Vic)

• Winner of three Grand Slam quad wheelchair singles titles (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon)
• US Open finalist
• Winner of all four Grand Slam quad wheelchair doubles titles
• Ranked No.1 in quad wheelchair singles division

ASHLEIGH BARTY (Qld)

• Winner of four singles titles (French Open, WTA Finals, Miami, Birmingham) and one doubles title (Rome)
• Rose to world No.1 in singles, becoming the first Australian woman to achieve the feat since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1976 and the first Australian woman to finish season as year-end No.1
• A US Open doubles finalist and finished season ranked No.19 in doubles
• Led Australia into a first Fed Cup final in 26 years, posting a 7-2 competition win-loss record for the season

ALEX DE MINAUR (NSW)

• Winner of three singles titles (Sydney, Atlanta, Zhuhai)
• Finalist in Basel and Next Gen ATP Finals
• Made US Open fourth round, a career-best Grand Slam result
• Scored three top-10 wins for the season and set new career-high ranking of No.18

JOHN MILLMAN (Qld)

• Made biggest ATP-level final of his career in Tokyo
• Matched career-best result at Wimbledon, advancing to the third round
• Finished inside world’s top 50 for a second consecutive season
• Helped Australia qualify for the Davis Cup finals

AJLA TOMLJANOVIC (Qld)

• Set a career-high ranking of No.39
• Scored two top-10 wins during 2019
• Made her Fed Cup debut in November’s final, scoring an impressive singles win to keep Australia in the tie
• Finalist in Hua Hin and made two WTA semifinals