Melbourne, Australia, 11 December 2023 | Leigh Rogers

The annual Australian Tennis Awards were presented at Melbourne’s Crown Casino this evening, with Alex de Minaur taking out his second Newcombe Medal.

The awards are an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our entire tennis community, both at a professional and grassroots level.

Congratulations to all award winners and finalists, your contributions to the sport are greatly appreciated.

Newcombe Medal: Alex de Minaur (NSW)

The 24-year-old enjoyed a stellar 2023 season, recording six top-10 wins and capturing his biggest career title at Acapulco. De Minaur also played a starring role in helping Australia progress to back-to-back Davis Cup finals for the first time in 22 years. Peaking at world No.11 during the season, this marked the highest position achieved by an Australian men’s singles player in 17 years.

> READ MORE: De Minaur awarded the Newcombe Medal for 2023

Spirit of Tennis: Alicia Molik (SA)

Molik was recognised for her outstanding contribution to the sport, on and off the court. After a stellar playing career, where she achieved career-high rankings of world No.8 in singles and world No.6 in doubles, Molik spent 10 years as Australia’s Billie Jean King Cup captain and helped steer the nation to two finals in the prestigious team competition. She is embarking upon a new role this summer, as the Adelaide International tournament director.

Female Junior Athletes of the Year: Emerson Jones (Qld) and Taylah Preston (WA)

Jones soared into the world’s top 10 in the ITF World Tennis Tour junior rankings in 2023. The Gold Coast talent won three ITF junior singles title and advanced to her first professional ITF singles final. She also contested all four Grand Slams and made third-round appearances in the girls’ singles events at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. This is Jones’ first Australian Tennis Award.

This is Preston’s third consecutive Australian Tennis Award in this category. The 18-year-old from Perth made an impressive transition on to the professional tour in 2023 and scooped four ITF titles. From outside the world’s top 800 in April, Preston climbed to a career-high ranking of world No.202. She finished her breakthrough season with an impressive record of 49 wins from 62 matches at pro level.

Male Junior Athlete of the Year: Charlie Camus (ACT)

Camus is Australia’s top-ranked junior boy. The 17-year-old from Canberra peaked at world No.31 in the junior rankings in 2023 after winning one singles and three doubles titles on the ITF World Tennis Tour. He competed at all four junior Grand Slams and was a boys’ doubles semifinalist at Roland Garros. This is Camus’ first Australian Tennis Award.

Coaching Excellence – Performance: Mark Draper (Qld)

As coach of Rinky Hijikata, Draper played a pivotal role in his charge’s rapid ascension up the rankings during a breakout 2023 season. Hijikata made his top-100 debut in both singles and doubles this year, peaking at No.70 in singles and No.23 in doubles. This is Draper’s first Australian Tennis Award.

Coaching Excellence – Development: Tony Vermaak (Vic)

Vermaak runs the Tony Vermaak Tennis Academy in Melbourne and is the coach of Koharu Nishikawa, a promising 14-year-old who represented Australia in the Junior Billie Jean King Cup Finals in November. This is Vermaak’s first Australian Tennis Award.

Coaching Excellence – Club: Tina Keown (Vic)

As manager of the Victorian Tennis Academy in Melbourne, Keown oversees operations at four tennis centres – Fawkner Park, Powlett Reserve, Caulfield Park and Oakleigh. More than 900 children and 600 adults are engaged in weekly coaching sessions, with up to 3000 participants per week across all programs. This is Keown’s first Australian Tennis Award.

Most Outstanding Athlete with a Disability: Archie Graham (Qld)

A strong performance at the 2023 Virtus Global Games in France reaffirmed Graham’s status as one of the world’s best players with an intellectual impairment. Graham won four medals at the event in June, including gold in the II-1 men’s singles category. Graham also took out the II-1 men’s singles and doubles titles at the 2023 Australian Tennis Championships in November. This is Graham’s third Australian Tennis Award in this category.

Most Outstanding Event: 2023 Queensland Head State Age Championships (Qld)

After three consecutive nominations in this category, this is the Queensland Head State Age Championships’ first Australian Tennis Award. The annual four-day junior tournament, held at the Rockhampton Regional Tennis Centre and Yeppoon Tennis Club, experienced a 25 per cent increase in participants at their September 2023 edition.

Excellence in Officiating: Glenn Toland (NSW)

Toland is the deputy chief umpire at the Australian Open. He obtained his Gold Badge from the ITF in December 2022, becoming the only the second working umpire in Australia to gain this level of accreditation and one of only 52 active Gold Badge umpires in the world. This is Toland’s first Australian Tennis Award.

Most Outstanding School: Torrens Valley Christian School (SA)

Tennis is thriving at this R-12 school in Adelaide’s North-Eastern suburbs. The school has formed a productive partnership with Hope Valley Tennis Club and provides Hot Shots Tennis as a core part of their health and physical education curriculum for primary and secondary school students.

Most Outstanding Tennis Club or Venue: Golden Grove Tennis Club (SA)

Located in the North Eastern Adelaide suburb of Surrey Downs, the Golden Grove Tennis Club has nine courts and close to 200 members. The club’s highlight of 2023 was a 24-hour charity tennis marathon, which raised more than $22,000 for the Australian Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Most Outstanding 30+ Tennis Masters: Ros Balodis (ACT) and Brendon Lee Moore (NSW)

Balodis is the world No.1 in the ITF Masters Tour’s 65+ women’s singles division. The 64-year-old dominated the 65+ Individual World Championships at Spain in October, winning the singles and mixed doubles titles (losing only a single set across both events). This is Balodis’ fourth Australian Tennis Award in this category.

Moore is the world No.1 in the ITF Masters Tour’s 35+ men’s singles division. The 38-year-old, a tennis coach from Terranora, won the 35+ Individual World Championship title at Turkey in March and remained unbeaten in singles on the ITF Masters Tour during 2023. This is Moore’s first Australian Tennis Award.

Volunteer Achievement: Brendon Oliver-Ewen (Tas)

Oliver-Ewan is a founding member of Hobart Out Tennis (HOT), Tasmania’s first LGBTI tennis club. He has held many different roles within the club and continues to work tirelessly to break down participation barriers and promote tennis as an inclusive sport.

> READ: News from the 2023 Australian Tennis Awards blue carpet

Find your way to play: Visit play.tennis.com.au to get out on court and have some fun!