13 November 2020 | Tennis West
![](https://www.tennis.com.au/wa/files/2020/11/MENS-HEALTH-700x450.jpg)
Partnering with Healthway, and in conjunction with The Man Walk Busselton and Regional Men’s Health Initiative, Tennis West will host a men’s only edition of Open Court Sessions at the Busselton Tennis Centre on Monday 16 November between 6:00pm and 8:00pm.
Dedicated to supporting men’s health across the South West, the Busselton Tennis Club will open the gates to players and non-players alike, for a relaxed evening of backhands and banter on court; followed by the opportunity to listen to guest speaker Glen Dunkerton from the Regional Men’s Health Initiative.
Including refreshments and equipment, the free men’s only event aims to connect men from across the South West in what promises to be a fun evening of modified tennis activities and the all-important opportunity to hear from leaders in the space of men’s mental health.
Tennis West Regional South Lead Greg Wood says he’s passionate about bringing the men of the South West together in an attempt to address some of the mental health issues faced by men of the area.
“Given our understanding of needing to act, belong and commit, we also understand that it’s not always easy for people to access opportunities to do so,’
‘The free event is an opportunity for us to remove that barrier in using tennis as the conduit to bring men from the South West together for a relaxed evening of banter and backhands,”
“Research from the 2018 Mayo Clinic study* found that tennis players live some 9.7 years longer than participants of any other sport or recreation largely due to the social aspects of the game which encourage a sense of connection and belonging,”
“We know tennis clubs are a great facilitator of connectedness and we hope to showcase that to the men of the South West on Monday,” said Wood.
Men interested in attending the free event on Monday 16 November are asked to register their interest with Paula Gates – [email protected]
Open Court Sessions:
• Open Court Sessions are a great way to get out and meet new people, have a laugh, and play tennis.
• Sessions run for around 90-minutes, with a 10-minute warm-up, 50-minutes of tennis activities and plenty of time for socialising.
• The on court experience offers different tennis activities including tennis on smaller courts, Pickleball and triples on a full size court.
• Off court experiences bring the opportunity to make new friends refreshments.
• Show up with or without a team and you’ll be looked after by the local tennis club with everything you need for a great experience.
To find out more about Open Court Sessions, please head to: www.play.tennis.com.au/opencourtsessions or watch the Open Court Sessions TVC.
*The 2018 Mayo Clinic findings found tennis to increase life expectancy by 9.7 years compared to other sport and recreation activities.