Tennis in Australia is fiercely competitive from social tennis to competition level tennis right up to professional level.
So how do the top Australian tennis players reach the apex of the game?
Here we set out to see the progression of competition from the basic game to Grand Slam level and what the budding young tennis players of Australia have to do to succeed at the very highest level.
The ANZ Tennis Hot Shots
The ANZ Hot Shots Leagues and Tournaments are the first step for kids to experience team tennis for the first time. The children will already be familiar with the formats of Hot Shots tennis and so the leagues and competitions are the perfect extension for them.
There are two leagues kids can compete in: The Orange Ball League and the Green Ball League.
Junior Tennis Leagues and Tournaments
After kids progress from the Super 10’s the next step up are Junior Leagues and Competitions The best way to compete in these is to join a local tennis club and enrol in the competitions.
There are four Australian tournaments currently available for Juniors;
- Non- ranking points tournaments (Medibank Junior Development Series)
- Ranking points tournaments (Junior Tour)
- Junior ITF tournaments (ITF Juniors)
- National Championships (Bruce Cup – Primary, Pizzey Cup – Secondary)
Junior Davis Cup & Junior Fed Cup
These Australian tennis competitions are played for annually and are contested by boys and girls under 16. Players are selected to represent their country by Tennis Australia.
Australian Money Tournaments
These prize money tournaments are semi-professional and act as a good stepping stone to the Australian Professional Tour. They offer both prize money and also Australian Ranking points.
Asia-Pacific Tennis League
The Asia-Pacific tennis league is a totally professional league that is contested by teams from Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Oceania and Asia.
Basically the players spend a year travelling in teams competing against one another in team format.
The Australian Pro Tour
The Australian Pro Tour is the level below the ATP/WTA Tour, these are professional events that offer ranking points and prize money. They include the ITF events, Futures and ATP Challenger events.
ATP World Tour and WTA Tour
This ranking is second only to Grand Slam tennis in the professional men’s and women’s game. Professional tennis players from all over the world compete against each other for ranking points and of course money.
Grand Slam Tournaments
This is the very pinnacle of professional tennis, competed at the four greatest venues in the world for the highest prize money of all.
The four Grand Slam events are;
- The Australian Open
- Roland Garros in France
- Wimbledon
- The US Open
Only the top echelon of players can dream of winning any of the four.
The Davis Cup & The Fed Cup
These competitions allow the top professionals players to play in teams representing their countries.
Highly competitive and attracting large crowds these exciting competitions pit the best players from across the globe against each other.
From Hot Shot tennis right up to Grand Slam there is a steady path of progression from the young tennis junior to the talented professional.
