11 October 2023 | Tennis Victoria

Tennis across Australia is set for the biggest change in years, as programs including Hot Shots Tennis and Cardio Tennis are refreshed and re-designed to appeal to new generations of players along with current participants.

Both the design and program changes come following more than 12 months of consultation and planning with coaches, parents, kids, players, clubs and event organisers across Australia.

More than 500 tennis coaches from around Australia, as well as industry experts and researchers, have taken part in the project to redefine the future of national programs, coloured-ball competition and the Tennis masterbrand.

“As we head into a huge summer of tennis, we are excited to roll out our new look across the country and get more people playing our great sport,” Tennis Australia Chief Tennis Officer Tom Larner said.

“For more than 15 years, Hot Shots Tennis has provided Aussie kids a fun introduction to tennis with a modified format making it easier to play from the first time they pick up a racquet.

“We have spent the last 12 months looking at ways to ensure its future success by working with coaches, parents, kids, players, clubs and event organisers around the country to adapt the program to suit today’s kids and their parents.

“The new look Hot Shots Tennis program offers greater flexibility and choice with a specific focus on engagement and fun at every stage, age and ability. In addition, the program will now place a bigger emphasis on values and life skills to create good people and good players.”

Match Play will now be integrated into the Hot Shots Tennis program so that coaches can offer a fun, friendly introduction to competition as part of their regular sessions. The vibrant new-look for Hot Shots Tennis is also designed to broaden its appeal to kids of all ages, especially those at the upper end of the program.

> Learn more about the new-look Hot Shots Tennis

In addition to the new look Hot Shots Tennis, a new Coloured Ball Rating has been developed in collaboration with Universal Tennis and coaches around Australia. The rating will help coaches and parents find the right level of competition for their young players as they learn and develop through the Hot Shots Tennis program.

“We have also made some exciting updates to the Cardio Tennis program, which will see the launch of four streams – Lite, Classic, Play and Max – designed to suit the varying motivations and confidence of participants,” Larner continued.

> Learn more about the new-look Cardio Tennis

The flexible framework will include an expanded activity library with a more holistic approach to how coaches can engage and retain people in the sport.

“Our team is thrilled to deliver these new programs and provide both children and adults more ways to play,” Tennis Australia Head of Programs Rebecca McDonald said.

“Research shows that racquet sports can increase life expectancy by almost 10 years and we want to remind everyone that tennis can literally extend your life. We are proud to have adapted and grown our programs and accessibility to the sport to suit today’s changing lifestyles and competence levels of people of all ages.

“The innovative Hot Shots Tennis and Cardio Tennis programs are hugely important to the continuity of our sport, the development of players and the building of healthy communities.”

To bring the new look programs to life, Tennis Australia has been working with the highly regarded brand agency Hulsbosch to revitalise the brand of Tennis in Australia.

The refreshed Tennis brand connects the different ways to play, including Hot Shots Tennis, Cardio Tennis and more of Tennis Australia’s portfolio of programs.

“We want our new look to represent our vision of creating a playful world through tennis in a way that is relevant for today’s audiences and media channels,” Larner explained.

“The ultimate goal is to build equity in the brand of Tennis, following the success we have achieved with the AO, to drive growth opportunities and efficiencies.”

The new system lays the foundation for elevating Tennis as a Masterbrand and leader in today’s sports and recreation landscape.

Book online, play today: Visit play.tennis.com.au to get out on court and have some fun!