The 5th edition of the National Indigenous Tennis Carnival (NITC) in Darwin concluded on Sunday with Indigenous tennis legend Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Tennis NT President Steve Rossingh celebrating all 184 players involved.
Celebrating the cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through tennis, the NITC was first launched in 2018 and is an annual four-day event centred around culture, community, tennis, education, and wellbeing.
The carnival was action packed with players participating in ball kid training and match play against other states on court.
WA finished 6th overall in the Ash Barty Cup, an improvement on last year and finished 3rd in the Hot Shots Red Ball Competition and 3rd in the Under 14 Future Stars Competition.
The 18-and-under championship finals saw Quincy Kahn (NSW) defeat Isaac Elson (NSW) 7-5 5-7 [10-4] in the boys and Amali Zillmann (Qld) defeat Giselle Kawane (Qld) 6-0 6-1 in the girls.
In the 14-and-under competition, Lola Grigor (Vic) defeated Laylah Shawcross (Qld) 7-5 6-4 and Ryan Bolger (Qld) overcame Preston Shawcross (Qld) 4-6 6-1 [10-5].
The team from Victoria claimed the Ash Barty Cup, taking home the coveted award for the second time. Queensland finished in second place, while New South Wales finished third.
Eight participants, one from each state and territory, were announced as the winners of the supervisor voted ‘Deadly Awards.’ These award winners will receive a money-can’t-buy experience at a Summer of Tennis event in 2025. WA’s Ella Quinlan won WA’s Deadly Award for her positive and friendly attitude and good sportsmanship.
The fifth anniversary of the event delivered a jam-packed schedule including a surprise visit from Ash Barty who joined life-long mentor Evonne Goolagong Cawley to be a part of the carnival for the first time.
On Friday evening, participants were treated to a surprise performance by Jessica Mauboy, with J-MILLA taking to the stage on Saturday evening.
There was also plenty of off-court activities with players participating in a variety of cultural activities throughout the event including string making with Roque Lee, spear throwing with Shannon Lee, mural painting with Jason Lee, Laughing Yoga with Nadine Lee, DJ workshops with Charly Templar and an animal experience.
Tennis West WA Team Supervisor Shelly Pascoe praised the WA players for their skill, exceptional behaviour throughout the event and great sportsmanship.
“The team built great friendships through their shared experiences on and off the court, celebrating both their skills and cultural connections. The kids displayed exemplary behaviour and it was a privilege to chaperon the team,” said Shelly.
“We have had a wonderful four days at the National Indigenous Tennis Carnival, and it has been great to see the participants immerse themselves in the different activities on and off court,” Tennis NT CEO Tania Tandora said.
“It was an absolute delight to have Ash join Evonne at the event this year and to see the smiles on the kids’ faces when she walked on to Centre Court is a moment we won’t forget.
“There has been some great tennis played throughout the carnival, and to see everyone take part in the cultural activities, as well as enjoy the fabulous concerts with Jessica Mauboy and J-MILLA, has been a pleasure.
“Many of our participants are at different stages in their tennis careers, but we hope that this is an event that they look back on and remember no matter what their future holds.”
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