The beach was brought to inner-city Melbourne this Australian Open, with the launch of the first-ever AO Beach House—bringing the laidback seaside holiday vibes to life and highlighting the fun of Beach Tennis.
A stunning beach tennis court, presented by Bondi Sands, was the heart of the precinct, and provide a backdrop for an exciting new health and wellbeing program at the AO and brought attention to the range of alternative formats of tennis available.
Tuko Maia from Beach Tennis WA attended the Australian Open as a Beach Tennis Ambassador, representing WA and joining two others from Sydney and the Gold Coast—the three largest Beach Tennis operations in Australia.
As a Beach Tennis Ambassador, Tuko supported the activation, providing demonstrations and lessons, allowing the public to experience Beach Tennis.
“To be part of the best tennis event in the country was very exciting,” said Tuko.
“It was a fantastic experience and opportunity to create more awareness of Beach Tennis in Australia.”
Similar to tennis, Beach Tennis is played with paddles and a lower-compression version of a tennis ball. The big twist is the terrain as it is played on a sandy surface, with a smaller court and no-bounce rule that gives a similar feel to beach volleyball. Beach Tennis is played socially and competitively around the world.
Together with Vision, Beach Tennis WA supported the event by providing 40 racquets that were used for demonstrations, games and lessons. These racquets will return to Beach Tennis WA to help develop the sport even further.
Tuko said the presence of Beach Tennis at the Australian Open, presented in a vibrant, fun and dynamic environment, was an important step for the growth of Beach Tennis in Australia—a country with some of the most stunning beaches in the world.
“Beach Tennis is the sandy sensation of the game many of us know and love and it was an opportunity for the tennis lovers to get to know the alternative format of the sport and explore other ways to play.”
Beach Tennis is currently presented in four states – WA (the first affiliated with Tennis Australia), New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria – and grew rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic when many Australians were seeking different ways to stay active while staying safe.
Beach Tennis WA is based in City Beach where players can get their toes sandy every weekend from 7.00am – 1.00pm and in North Beach every Wednesday from 6.00pm – 9/00pm, with lessons and social games available for all levels and abilities.
“We are looking forward to being able to bring the professional circuit to WA soon,” Tuko said.
Learn more about where you can play Beach Tennis in WA with Beach Tennis WA: https://beachtenniswa.com.au/
and Ocean Beach Tennis: https://www.facebook.com/ocean.beachtennis
Latest
WA