Shiny surprise: Champion tennis player John Fitzgerald alongside the Daphne Akhurst and Norman Brookes cups at Echuca Tennis Club. Photos: Aidan Briggs
Photo by
Aidan Briggs
Echuca Tennis Club had a few special visitors on Saturday, as the Australian Open Trophy tour made its way to the club.
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Former champion tennis player John Fitzgerald accompanied the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup and the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup to Echuca, as part of Tennis Australia’s annual ‘AO On The Road’ trophy tour.
Hit a winner: Echuca Tennis Club’s Xavier, 11, Ollie, 10, Damien, 13, Sienna, 9, Dave Starling, Audrey, 11 and Xavier, 13, were all smiles as John Fitzgerald (centre) accompanied the Australian Open trophies to the club on Saturday.
Photo by
Aidan Briggs
Fitzgerald, a former world number one doubles player who achieved a career doubles grand slam, said the event was a wonderful way to bring excitement to regional towns that had experienced hardships in recent times.
“AO on the Road is a fantastic initiative. It brings the prestige and excitement of the Australian Open to regional areas, while showcasing Victoria’s incredible tennis communities who do so much important work,” he said.
Ace: Eli Kingma grabs a picture with John Fitzgerald.
Photo by
Aidan Briggs
“This past year, when so many communities have been hit hard by devastating floods, tennis communities have come together to support one another and to rebuild.
“It’s wonderful that we can bring the trophies to these areas and come together to celebrate their resilience.”
Future stars: Edward, 11, Anna, 6, and Alex, 9, with John Fitzgerald and the Daphne Akhurst and Norman Brookes cups.
Photo by
Aidan Briggs
The visit of the trophies also coincided with the Australian Tennis Foundation’s ‘Rally as One’ program, which aimed at supporting communities devastated by natural disasters with free community events, infrastructure projects and tennis programs.
Next gen: Matilda, 8, alongside John Fitzgerald as the AO On the Road trophy tour stopped in at Echuca Tennis Club.
Photo by
Aidan Briggs
The trophies made their way to Echuca after visiting Rochester last Saturday, and will head to Wahgunyah next week as the tour continues its journey across regional Victoria.
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