10 January 2017 | Tennis Australia
More than 200 towns from across Australia are set to become dedicated cheer squads for the world’s best tennis players throughout their Australian Open 2017 campaigns.
In 2016 clubs across the nation opened their doors to the public by hosting a Free Tennis Day, earning them eligibility for their town to secure one of the world’s top players to represent them.
The Free Tennis Day competition is highly regarded amongst the playing group. Last year, many of the main draw players including six-time Australian Open champions Serena Williams (USA) and Novak Djokovic (SRB) and world No.1s Andy Murray (GBR) and Angelique Kerber (GER) actively engaged with their supporting towns via social media.
Australian Open 2016 Free Tennis Day winners, Swan Hill (Vic) and Two Wells (SA), were treated to a special town celebration and other prizes earlier in the year. Swan Hill also received international exposure when Djokovic became an honorary mayor of the town, even donning the ‘town gown’ to announce his new title. Local fans were given the ultimate experience when visitors from the region were invited to a meet and greet.
World No.21 Sam Stosur (Qld) believes the Free Tennis Day campaign is a great way to increase tennis participation in local communities.
“Tennis and being active is integral to keeping communities healthy, and I think Free Tennis Days are a great initiative as they invite everyone to come and try the sport,” Sam Stosur said.
“Being able to reward clubs who hold Free Tennis Days with an opportunity to get involved in the Australian Open is a great way to acknowledge their efforts in promoting tennis in their community.
“As a player, it’s such a good feeling to have a whole town cheering for you and to see towns and clubs engaging with the Australian Open because of this campaign.”
On Thursday 22 December, a ballot was conducted and eligible towns and clubs were rewarded with players to support during the Australian Open. Please see the top scoring towns below:
Australian Open 2017 top players and town match up (correct as at 22 December 2016)
| Player | Town |
| Angelique Kerber (GER) | Mordialloc (Vic) |
| Andy Murray (GBR) | Mount Evelyn (Vic) |
| Serena Williams (USA) | Bentleigh (Vic) |
| Novak Djokovic (SRB) | Innisfail (Qld) |
| Agnieszka Radwankska (POL) | Charleville (Qld) |
| Milos Raonic (CAN) | Alice Springs (NT) |
| Simona Halep (ROU) | Riddells Creek (Vic) |
| Stan Wawrinka (SUI) | Moe (Vic) |
| Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) | Woree (Qld) |
| Kei Nishikori (JPN) | Cairns (Qld) |
| Karolina Pliskova (CZE) | Laverton (Vic) |
| Marin Cilic (CRO) | Henley Beach South (SA) |
| Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP) | Sale (Vic) |
| Gael Monfils (FRA) | Tullamarine (Vic) |
| Madison Keys (USA) | Mosman Park (WA) |
Australian players and town match ups:
| Player | Town |
| Nick Kyrgios (ACT) | Watsonia (Vic) |
| Samantha Stosur (Qld) | Tully (Qld) |
| Daria Gavrilova (Vic) | Boneo (Vic) |
| Bernard Tomic (Qld) | Merredin (WA) |
| Jordan Thompson (NSW) | Littlehampton (SA) |
| Thanasi Kokkinakis (SA) | Manning (WA) |
| John Millman (Qld) | Macleod (Vic) |
| Sam Groth (Vic) | Carlton North (Vic) |
| Jaimee Fourlis (Vic) | Millswood (SA) |
| Omar Jasika (Vic) | Marleston (SA) |
| Destanee Aiava (Vic) | Bentleigh East (Vic) |
| Lizette Cabrera (Qld) | Donvale (Vic) |
The full list of player/town match ups is available here.
For more information on Free Tennis Days visit tennis.com.au.
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