Burnie TAS 7320, Australia, 22 August 2018 | Tennis Tasmania

Former world No.3 doubles star Casey Dellacqua will visit Burnie for the Tasmanian Tennis Awards in September.

“I have many great memories playing in Tasmania – including scoring my first WTA main draw win at the Hobart International in 2005 and representing Australia at a Fed Cup tie in Hobart in 2014,” Dellacqua said.

“The welcoming and strong community spirit in Tasmania always made it a special place to visit during my career, so I’m really looking forward to attending the Tasmanian Tennis Awards and meeting all the people who contribute to this and to say thanks for their support.”

Dellacqua made seven Grand Slam women’s doubles finals and won the French Open mixed doubles title in 2011.  The 33-year-old, who set a career-high singles ranking of No.26 in 2014, retired earlier this year.

“Casey has been one of Australia’s top-ranked players for the past decade. She has always loved competing in Tasmania and we know she is excited about returning to share stories from her stellar career and to thank her many fans,” Tennis Tasmania General Manager Darren Sturgess said.

The Tasmanian Tennis Awards will be presented on Saturday 22 September, part of a weekend-long celebration at the Burnie Tennis Club that includes a forum and social play opportunities.

“The annual Tasmanian Tennis Awards recognise outstanding performances, achievements and local contributions to the sport – and this year we’re making it a whole weekend of celebrations,” Sturgess said.

“As well as the award ceremony on the Saturday evening, we will also run tennis forums and provide opportunities to play social tennis. We encourage everyone to get involved in what promises to be a fun weekend.

“Nominations for the awards close at the end of this month so if there is anyone wanting to recognise a club, coach, volunteer, official, player or valuable member of the tennis community get your applications in as soon as possible.”

> Make a nomination in the Tasmanian Tennis Awards

Sturgess said the weekend-long celebrations would also be a perfect way to celebrate an exciting year and launch into the summer of tennis across the state.

“Tennis participation numbers are on the rise, with the number of students playing ANZ Tennis Hot Shots in Tasmanian schools increasing a remarkable 37 per cent in the past year to 17,843,” Sturgess said.

“Creating more opportunities for people to play is also important, so we are thrilled the state will soon have five clubs using Book A Court – an innovative online booking technology that is making courts more accessible for all.”

Nominations for the Tasmanian Tennis Awards close on 31 August. Further details and nomination forms can be found here.