Tennis Northern Beaches - Wimbledon Wrap 2011

Wimbledon Worthy: Australian Tennis Players Past & Present

There were no tennis players from the Northern Beaches who excelled at Wimbledon this year… but an Australian did emulate our own John Alexander and win the Boys Singles title, just as J.A. did in 1968.

The Drum
By Dave Keogh

There was no modern day Brad Drewett (who used to play at what is now Giltinan’s Tennis Centre at North Manly) or Dianne Balestrat (nee Fromholtz) who I used to play against at the Nabaron club at Keirle Park before their respective professional careers took off.

The Peninsula has a great history of producing quality tennis players… and for providing others with a place to live after they’ve finished touring the world.

Sandon Stolle 

Former World Number 2 Doubles Player and Davis Cup representative Sandon Stolle now calls Freshwater home… (and has just started a new career as a real estate agent in the area!).

Bob Giltinan

Bob Giltinan (he of the aforementioned tennis centre) was once ranked number 36 in the world as a singles player and along with partner Syd Ball was runner up to Ross Case and Geoff Masters in a close-fought Australian Open Doubles Final. He represented Australia in Davis Cup matches in 1971 and 1974. He and his family now live in Cromer, run the centre at North Manly and Bob is a Councillor for Warringah.

Wally Masur

Wally Masur was born in Canberra and played his first tennis in the ACT… but now calls the Northern Beaches home. A dual Grand Slam semi-finalist (1987 Australian Open and 1993 US Open), he also made the last 16 at Wimbledon on three separate occasions and reached a career-high ranking of 15 in the world. Wally coached the Australian Davis Cup team from 2001 to 2005 and is now a highly respected media commentator.

Mark Edmondson

Mark Edmondson was born and raised in Gosford before moving to Elanora Heights after finishing his professional career. He is still remembered as the last Australian to win the Australian Open Singles title.

Dinny Pails

I used to be assistant coach to the legendary Dinny Pails at the Bareena Park club in Balgowlah Heights. Dinny was another Davis Cup hero and Australian Open Champion who defeated John Bromwich for the title in 5 tight sets way back in 1947.

Dinny has since passed on, as has my own coach Col Swan – the man who discovered Evonne Goolagong when Coaching Director of the Victor Arthur Edwards Tennis School (VAETS). Col lived in Dee Why until he died earlier this year.

So no… there were no locals winning trophies at this year’s Wimbledon. But given the success of several young Aussies, I thought it worthy of a story in The Drum nonetheless. (If they weren’t born here, they may well live here one day!) Let’s start with the young man that I for one thought would fall victim to ‘Damir Syndrome’ but who’s starting to prove us wrong.

Bernard Tomic

Bernard Tomic was simply sensational at The Championships in 2011. In his first two rounds, the Russians were coming… and then they went! First Davydenko in straight sets… then Andreev in 5. Next up was World No. 5, Robin Soderling… dispatched in straight sets! And Belgium’s Xavier Malisse, ranked 42 suffered the same fate. Just take the time to consider that achievement for a moment… a former World No. 3; another once ranked as high as 18; the current World No. 5; and the feisty Belgian now ranked 39. And an 18 year old Aussie thrashed them all!

Then he played the newly crowned World No. 1, Novak Djokovic, in the Quarter Finals of the Wimbledon Championships… and at one set all, 3-1 to Tomic and with two points for a 4-1 lead in that 3rd set, he was on his way to pulling off the greatest upset at Wimbledon in decades. He went walkabout for about six games and that was all the ball bouncing Serb needed to re-group, win the match and go on to beat Rafael Nadal in the Final to claim his first Wimbledon crown. But Bernard Tomic had him worried!

He has a unique style that will worry almost every player on tour. He gives you no pace in rallies, slices his backhand down low instead of offering the shoulder-high topspin shots that 99% of the robots on tour prefer and practice for… then when you least expect it, he pounces on a shot and ups the power to rifle away a winner.

He hits consistently deep in the court, knows how to build a point towards the execution of a winner and knows when to come to net… and when he gets there, he can volley.

Right now he’s in China, leading our Davis Cup team for the first time and needing to beat Ze Zhang in the second singles rubber to keep Australia in the tie. (Debutant Marinko Matosevic lost to China's Di Wu in 5 sets in the first rubber).

Our Cup stalwart, Lleyton Hewitt is still recovering from a foot problem and is only playing doubles in China… so the burden falls on young Tomic to win both his singles matches. I’m hoping like Hell he soaks up the wisdom and fighting spirit of new Davis Cup Captain Pat Rafter and that of his team mate, the former World No. 1 Hewitt… and that he goes on to have a long and memorable career.

Luke Saville – Wimbledon Boys Champion

Australia’s been craving for a new tennis hero and Tomic could be the man. But just behind him is a young man from Adelaide called Luke Saville who won the Boys Singles title at this year’s Wimbledon, coming from a set and a break down against the great British hope Liam Broady (who’s already learning what Tim Henman and Andy Murray have before him Luke Saville – Wimbledon Boys Champion about carrying the load of British expectations). Saville was terrific… focussed, strong… and he sensed when the pressure was getting to his opponent. And that’s when he upped the ante! A great win… as was that by 15 year old Ashleigh Barty in the Girls Singles! This is the first time ever that both Junior Titles have been won by Aussies in the same year… what an effort!

The young girl from Ipswich in Queensland (Alan Langer territory) was incredibly composed against her Russian opponent Irina Khromacheva, who at 16 was a whole year older than Ash. While the eastern European struggled with nerves throughout, bursting into tears one moment, then knuckling down before being hit by another wave of emotion, Ashleigh’s temperament was incredible for one so young throughout the entire match.

Ashleigh Barty – Wimbledon Girls Champion

She came from 1-4 down in the first to take the set 7-5… then led 4-1 in the second, only to squander that lead and end up in a tiebreaker. But it was the Aussie youngster who held her nerve and ran out the victor, 7-5, 7-6. She has plenty of time to become the successor to Sam Stosur as our leading female player.

Another young Aussie, Jason Kubler, also made the semis of the Boys Singles, so for the first time in ages, Australia’s tennis stocks look solid. Not only are these gifted teenagers likely to achieve great things themselves in the future, but more importantly they’ll motivate others their age and younger around them to strive for excellence too.

Another Aussie world champion may not be too many years down the track. (And when they eventually retire, what better place to pitch their tents than the northern beaches?)