TA Press Release, January 25, 2019

Tennis Australia personnel met with representatives from the Asian Tennis Federation (ATF) in Melbourne this week to establish a working group which will focus on increasing the opportunities in tennis throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

Asian Tennis Federation President Anil Kumar Khanna led the discussions at Australian Open 2019.

“Through this partnership with the team at Tennis Australia, we hope to improve the opportunities for players, coaches and officials across the Asia-Pacific region,” Mr Khanna said. 

“Together, we want to be able to address the barriers of cost, travel distance and population by establishing an Asia-Pacific pathway and programs which would lead to more opportunities for enhanced participation for all ages and abilities and see more talented athletes emerge within the region.”

The working group will drive the growth of the sport within the region by focusing on junior participation, collaboration on coaching and expansion of professional playing opportunities.

Tennis Australia CEO and Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley also took part in the discussions.

“We are proud of our long-held reputation as the Grand Slam of Asia-Pacific and we want to be able to provide increased opportunities for more people in the area,” Mr Tiley said.

“By working with the ATF, we will also be able to give our Aussie athletes vital training and tournament opportunities closer to home.”