Organisers hope to see the Tennis Australia Talent Combine become “a real big event every year on the calendar for our young juniors and aspiring professionals”.
Brisbane, Australia, 28 September 2023 | Leigh Rogers
Organisers have labelled the inaugural Tennis Australia Talent Combine a major success.
Sixteen athletes, aged between 13 and 15, took part in the four-day event which concluded today at the Queensland Tennis Centre.
There were also education sessions for parents and private coaches across a jam-packed schedule.
“It’s been a great event,” said Ben Pyne, Tennis Australia’s National Player Support Program Manager.
“It’s been great to see all the private coaches, parents and players coming into one place to train and really test themselves against each other.
“We’ve had a lot of fun too. We’ve done a high ropes course and lots of challenging things like an escape room. It’s been great to see everyone out there competing and really working together to see Australian tennis really grow.”
Elijah Dikkenberg during a Tree Top Challenge at Mount Tamborine. Picture: Tennis Australia
According to Pyne, all athletes made the most of the opportunity.
“They’ve come in with a great attitude and really tried to test themselves,” he said. “It’s been a really great growth opportunity for everyone.”
Paul Vassallo, Tennis Australia’s Director of Talent, believes the camaraderie between the athletes is encouraging.
“We came here with a pretty high expectation of what we wanted to see and what we thought the athletes would get out of it,” Vassallo said.
“They all got along great, which is really positive, given the fact they’re hopefully going to be together for another 10, 15, 20 years.”
> READ: Athletes reflect on lessons gained at Talent Combine
Vassallo was also impressed with the athlete’s on-court performances.
“The matches have been quite high intensity, especially given the fact they weren’t playing for a trophy or points or a rating,” he said.
“It’s been really impressive to see them go out there every day and compete really hard.”
Vassallo was also happy with the level of engagement from parents and coaches throughout the combine.
“There’s been a lot of information going back to the parents and a lot of questions back from the parents, which has been really helpful,” he said.
“The more questions we get, the more we can think about our services and how…
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