9 January 2025 | Tennis West

The United Cup was back for a third time showcasing equality at the highest level of the sport. Continuing with the format West Australian’s know and love, the format continued to be a hit with each tie determined in one session as well as including one men’s singles and one women’s singles match featuring the No.1 ranked singles players, followed by one mixed doubles match.  

Perth was treated to world class tennis with the likes of world no. 2 Alexander Zverev (Germany), world no. 4 Taylor Fritz (USA) and world no. 11 Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece) in the men’s, while the women’s side also featured strong competition with world no. 3 Coco Gauff (USA), world no. 6 Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) and world no. 16 Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil).

Perth was drawn with the number one seeds and eventual winners USA which featured Taylor Fritz who returned to Perth for the second time and first timer Coco Gauff. Greece, Croatia, Spain, Brazil, China returned to Perth after previously attending the tournament in past years. New to Perth were team Kazakhstan, Germany and Canada.

Following on from the success of last year, over 160 kids and 20 club coaches received the opportunity to have a hit on centre court with Hot Shots Kids on Court before the start of each day’s play.

Coaching businesses such as Tennis Excellence, Tennis Factory, Tennis HQ, Tiny Tots Tennis, Tennis Approach, Ace-It Tennis, The Tennis Pro, Megan Henry Tennis, Break Point Tennis, Instyle Tennis Management and Play Tennis all participated in the activation involving kids from throughout the city region as well as players from Lake Grace, Narrogin and Dumbleyung.

Tennis West Head of Tennis Development Officer – Coaching Joel Pleydell said “this opportunity is all about creating memorable experiences for the kids, parents, and club coaches. To have a hit on centre court at RAC Arena makes the kids feel like the pros for the day. Hopefully one day in the future they’ll get to step out on RAC Arena at the United Cup and be a ball-kid, referee or even play for their country.”

A select number of kids from regional and metro tennis clubs were lucky enough to be invited to toss the coin before each match. In partnership with the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, Tennis West provided an amazing experience for 13 KidSport children to meet their idols and participate in the United Cup by tossing the coin before matches. A couple of kids from various coaching businesses as well as a long time 40 year volunteer also tossed the coin. All participants got to keep the coin. A special mention to the chair umpires who were very obliging and friendly.

Tennis West received over 200 applications in June for kids aged 12 to 16 years of age to become ball kids at the United Cup. Trials were held during the year with 72 ball kids selected and split into three squads.

While there was plenty of action on the court, there was lots of action off-court with Tennis West running an activation zone inside the arena as well as outside where there was mini games such as guess who, cultural performances and live music. Kids completed a tennis passport where they had to find their local tennis club, guess the amount of tennis balls, have a hit with friends or coaches on the hot shot court and write a message of support to the players.

During the United Cup, Tennis West hosted two breakfasts for Teachers who were involved in tennis school programs and for club Presidents at the Baseline Club at RAC Arena.

The teacher’s breakfast was attended by more than 140 teachers before the Kazakhstan and China tie. Tennis West Schools team then delivered a presentation about the upcoming schools’ programs we have on offer in 2025.

The president’s breakfast was well received with over 150 club representatives and guests in attendance before the USA and Croatia tie. Guests were joined by Head of Tennis Development & Participation Rob Kennedy and Tennis West CEO Olivia Birkett.

Spectators were treated to some incredible tennis over the six days with the USA and Kazakhstan advancing to the semi-finals in Sydney after defeating China and Germany respectfully.

A big thank you to the staff, volunteers, ball kids and officials for the hard work and countless hours that were dedicated to ensuring the event was a success and an unforgettable experience for the players and the Perth tennis community.