Set to begin this coming Monday (February 13), the platinum series event will run for five days and has a cash prize of $20,000.
The club takes over the event from Geelong Lawn Tennis Club, which was forced to forfeit its hosting of the event at late notice — opening the door for Shepparton Lawn.
Shepparton Lawn Tennis Club secretary Jarrod Bingham explained the series of events that led to it becoming the host of the coveted tournament.
“It has historically been held in Geelong, but they unfortunately could not hold the event this year, so Tennis Victoria reached out to us a couple of weeks ago to see if we would be interested in stepping in,” Bingham said.
“Obviously we were very keen and jumped at the opportunity given it is such a prestigious event and we are going to get some top quality players coming up and playing on our courts.
“Our courts are held in very high regard by Tennis Victoria, we’ve hosted successful large-scale tournaments in the past and we are confident we can do it again.”
This announcement comes as a major boost for Shepparton Lawn Tennis Club after it was forced to give up Victoria Country Week to Yarrawonga due to the impact of October’s floods.
Bingham said it was a testament to the club’s members that the courts were in good enough condition to host such a large scale event four months removed from the devastation.
“It’s all about exposure and, for us to bring in a tournament like this, it is good for our members and our sponsors, so to be in a position to put this event on it is wonderful,” he said.
“We’re just trying to get as much activity at the club since the floods, that is our number one goal since we’ve been able to get back out on the court.
“We want to get people through the doors and playing tennis on our courts and a tournament like this will do wonders in helping us with that.”
As for what fans can expect from this tournament, Bingham said top quality players from across the country would battle it out in what is set to be an elite display of tennis.
“There are a lot of players (coming up) who are on the fringe of making a living out of tennis, so fans can expect to see some really quality players going head-to-head,” he said.
“We’ve got players from a number of states coming over for this and it leads into a few pro-tour events in the weeks after.
“It’s a great opportunity to see top quality players you wouldn’t normally see at the events we usually have here.”
The 2023 Victorian Grass Court Championships at Shepparton Lawn Tennis Club will begin on Monday, February 13 and run until Friday, February 17.
