29 November 2017 | Tennis Victoria

Ashleigh Barty has capped off a standout year by claiming the coveted Newcombe Medal for 2017 in front of the Australian tennis fraternity at Crown Palladium on Monday night.

After starting the year ranked outside the top 300, Barty skyrocketed up the rankings and now sits among the world’s elite at No.17. A host of big scalps and strong doubles success with good friend, Casey Dellacqua, Barty’s win seemed an inspired choice as she now sets her sights on an Australian Summer of Tennis assault.

Barty edged out Victorians Daria Gavrilova and John Peers for the honour, as well fellow Aussies Jordan Thompson and Nick Kyrgios.

The Australian Tennis Awards were also announced at the ceremony, which was hosted by radio and television personality, Rove McManus.

Many Victorians were fortunate enough to taste success with national awards in a number of categories:

Coaching Excellence High Performance – Craig Tyzzer

Female Junior Athlete of the Year – Destanee Aiava

Most Outstanding Australian Ranking Tournament – Melbourne Wheelchair Tennis Open 2017

Most Outstanding Professional Tournament – Mildura Grand Tennis international 2017

Most Outstanding Club – Boroondara Tennis Centre

At this year’s Tennis Victoria Champions Dinner, former Victorian Premier John Cain was awarded the prestigious Victorian Spirit of Tennis award. Due to his guidance and integral involvement in the creation of the National Tennis Centre – now known as Rod Laver Arena and Melbourne Park – the Australian Open resides in arguably the world’s leading sports and entertainment precinct.

With the 30-year anniversary of the precinct celebrated in 2017, John Cain was also presented with the Australian Spirit of Tennis award. It is a significant achievement and one that the former Victorian Premier was humbled to receive.

As the year draws to a close, the Australian Summer of Tennis is starting to heat up with a number of tournaments, players, clubs and volunteers setting themselves for an exciting 2018.