28 January 2014 | Tennis West

(From L-R) National Academy Manager Andrew Roberts, Community Tennis Officer Callum Ross, guest speaker Darren Cahill, tennis mentor and coach Rob Kilderry, CEO of Tennis West Michael Robertson and Brixton St tennis coach John Roberts

The inaugural Coaches Morning Tea was held at Perth Arena in conjunction with the Hopman Cup. Coaches from all over Perth attended this event, however they weren’t all tennis coaches. The event also attracted coaches in the fields of diving, rugby league, surfing, lacrosse, canoeing and even members from WA’s pistol association. Guests were treated to a delicious morning tea whilst being entertained by former world ranked tennis player and coach, Darren Cahill.

Darren provided guests with an insight into his career as he recalled his days as a professional tennis player and also how he battled with his injuries. He spoke fondly of his time coaching Lleyton Hewitt and their journey to get Hewitt to world number 1, a feat Hewitt achieved as the world’s youngest player. Darren also recounted his coaching days with tennis legend Andre Agassi, who had also made it to number 1 under his guidance. All who attended would agree it was both a pleasure and an honour to be addressed by such an influential and personable player and coach.

At the conclusion of the morning tea, guests were offered a complimentary ticket to watch Czech Republic v Spain.