AIS tennis talent get a shot to compete in the Australian Open

AIS tennis player Casey Dellacqua will be in action at the Australian Open.

15 Jan 2009

Young AIS tennis players will get a shot at competing with the world’s best, thanks to renewed focus on youth development in the wildcard phase of the Australian Open, which starts on 19 January 2009.

AIS Pro Tour Tennis Program members Sam Groth, Olivia Rogowska, Brydan Klein, Jessica Moore, Colin Ebelthite and Carsten Ball have all been named as wildcard entries in the main draw for the Australian Open tournament this month.

Tennis Australia has adopted a youth policy as part of its wildcard selection process for the Australian Open, which aims to support the development of emerging local tennis talent.

Seventeen-year-old Olivia Rogowska, who holds a senior ranking of 365, was thrilled to get a wildcard entry.

‘It’s a dream come true for me and I’m really, really looking forward to it,’ Rogowska said.

‘This will be my biggest ever match. I’m just looking forward to going out there, having fun and really appreciating and learning from the experience.

‘I’d like to thank Tennis Australia for the opportunity and I will work hard and do my best to take full advantage of it.’

At 21, big-serving Sam Groth is continuing to improve his on-court ability through the AIS Pro Tour Tennis Program and is delighted by his selection as a wildcard.

‘This will be a good opportunity to test myself against the top guys once again,’ said Groth.

‘I keep trying to progress and improve all the things I’ve been working on over the past couple of months and I’m grateful for this opportunity.’

Australian Institute of Sport head coach of tennis, Brent Larkham, welcomed Tennis Australia’s focus on youth development:

‘The wildcard selection committee has made the decision to focus on youth and give a new group of players the opportunity to step up and experience competition at this elite level.

‘All these athletes will gain an enormous amount of experience from this opportunity which will help them develop both mentally and physically.

‘This is the level they all need to be achieving at in order to play a part in the future of Australian tennis.’

AIS tennis players competing at the Australian Open:

Main draw