8 November 2012 | Tennis Victoria

Two highly successful Pro Tour events have been staged by Bendigo and Traralgon over the last two weekends as some of the top players in Australia gathered in Victoria.

The William Loud Bendigo International and the Latrobe City MSS Security Tennis International at Traralgon are two of the biggest tournaments in Victoria and both enjoyed another successful year of top quality competition.

Many of the best players in Australia participated in the two events, while over 1000 local school kids took part in the Pro Tour Schools Experience, where kids had the chance to play MLC Tennis Hot Shots, watch the action courtside and hear from the pros.

Leon Retallick, Executive Officer for Bendigo Tennis Association, said the tournament was great opportunity for everyone to get involved in tennis.

“It’s vital for the kids to get exposure to tennis at a young age.  There are so many activities which kids can choose to be involved in, and if you don’t get exposure, it’s unlikely they will take tennis up at an older age,” said Retallick.

He also said it was a “vital event on the Bendigo tennis calendar”.

“It provides a link to the elite of tennis, and a clear pathway for up-and-coming players into the professional game.”

Students from Gray Street Primary School in Traralgon were given a rare opportunity to ask dual junior Grand Slam champion Luke Saville some questions about the life of an elite tennis player. You can view his answers below.

In Traralgon, Ben Mitchell (QLD) claimed the men’s event, while rising star Ash Barty (QLD) took out the women’s event. In Bendigo, top seed John Millman (QLD) and Victorian Arina Rodionova claimed the singles titles.

You can see what Millman had to say after his win in Bendigo here.

You can see all the photos from Traralgon on Tennis Victoria’s Facebook page.