NZ Have Your Say

NEW ZEALAND - HAVE YOUR SAY!
Tennis NZ is undertaking a review of the structure of tennis. With your help, we want to work out the most effective and efficient way to organise tennis in NZ so that the best outcomes are achieved for the Strategic Framework.

To get the best outcome for tennis we need to gather the widest views we can.

The Tennis NZ Board has formed a Working Group (view members here) with people from across the Tennis community. The Working Group are seeking the view of the Tennis community in this process through various methods:

1. Online Survey for all those involved in Tennis - Clubs, Coaches, Associations, Regions, Schools and Affiliates | The survey will be open for anyone involved in tennis to respond and will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. Please follow THIS LINK to get started. They survey will be available until 13 May 2018.

2. Meetings with the Working Group | Since April Tennis NZ and the Working Group have been holding a series of meetings designed to bring together the boards, managers and other key people involved in Tennis in your area, to discuss their views and perspectives of the challenges and opportunities for delivering tennis. Please join us if you can if you haven't already!

ARTEM SITAK BEATEN IN ESTORIL DOUBLES FINAL

Artem Sitak has come up short in this morning's final at the ATP tournament in Estoril. Sitak and his Dutch partner Wesley Koolhof have lost 6-4 6-2 to the British paring of Kyle Edmund and Cameron Norrie in 1 hr 09. 'We started the match on fire and we were up 3-1,40-0 serving but they hit some unbelievable returns to break back." Sitak said. READ MORE

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT: CORBAN CROWTHER

Hard-working 15 year old Corban Crowther is a New Zealand player who in 2018 was runner up in boys singles and doubles at the 14U National Championships. He also competed for NZ in this year's ITF JDC - Asia/Oceania Final Qualifying event. In late 2017 Corban won the 2017 Tennis NZ Junior Masters Finals in Wellington. Learn more about Corban as he answers our random questions. READ MORE

GAME SET & MATCH PODCAST: MATT BROWN CHATS WITH CHRISTOPHE LAMBERT

Radio Sport tennis commentator Matt Brown is joined by Tennis New Zealand's new Performance Coach Christophe Lambert to present Game Set and Match, our weekly look at the world of tennis. This week Christophe talks about his first impressions after joining the TNZ team a couple of weeks ago. Artem Sitak joins the conversation after reaching the doubles final at the ATP tournament in Estoril. Top Kiwi doubles player Mike Venus looks ahead to his first appearance at this week's Madrid Masters. Matt and Christophe discuss whether anyone can challenge Rafael Nadal and talk about some of the women's contenders on the clay courts of Europe. HAVE A LISTEN

FEATURED TOURNAMENT: FAST FOURS WOMENS DOUBLES TENNIS
As apart of the Wild on Women's Weekend, the Whangamata Tennis & Squash club is hosting a Fast Fours Womens Doubles tennis tournament! Fast Fours is played very successfully every year at the Hoffman Cup in Perth, it’s designed to be played within 20 minutes. A tie break is played at 3 all, sudden death deuce, receiver can say who is going to receive. Winners progress to the next round. Played as a round robin tournament, everybody gets at least a minimum of 3 games. $25 Entry - Afternoon tea provided and Bar open from 1pm. LEARN MORE

ANOTHER ITF DOUBLES TITLE FOR ERIN ROUTLIFFE
Young New Zealand tennis player Erin Routliffe has continued her rapid rise up the WTA doubles rankings capturing another ITF title in the United States. The 23 year old has won her sixth doubles title of the year at the US $80,000 tournament in Charleston, South Carolina. Teaming up with Chile's Alexa Guarachi, Routliffe has beaten the American team of Louisa Chirico and Allie Kiick 6-1, 3-6, 10-5 in the final. Routliffe is projected to climb 24 places to a career high 145 in the WTA doubles rankings after starting the year at 339.

WHAT'S ON THIS MONTH

AFFILIATE CORNER
Tennis NZ Seniors and the International Lawn Tennis Club of New Zealand (ICNZ) have recently sent out their April newsletters. Both are chock full of wonderful news and information. Have a read through each of them here:
>> Tennis NZ Seniors April newsletter
>> ICNZ April newsletter