Tennis Sydney serves up a treat

Tennis Sydney is holding its most popular tennis tournament of the year next month as part of the Mardi Gras festival. Tennis Sydney’s Mardi Gras championships will take place from February 25 to 27 at the Illawarra Tennis Centre in Rockdale.

Competitors are expected to come from interstate and even overseas, as the tournament is part of the Gay and Lesbian Tennis Alliance’s world tour.

The Mardi Gras championship has been a popular event for the past 20 years and 2011 is shaping up to be one of the best, with strong competition anticipated for all grades — Opens, A, B, C and D.

The tournament comprises graded singles and doubles events along with women’s doubles, 40-plus doubles, and mixed doubles. Players can play in a maximum of two events and will be graded as per their GLTA ranking or as determined by the grading committee. Trophies are awarded to the winners and runners-up in each grade.

The tournament is a great social weekend, with the chance for players to meet old friends and make new ones. There is a dinner after play on Saturday, enabling players to share stories on the day’s play and bond outside a competitive setting. This year’s Chinese banquet dinner will be held in the function room of the Rockdale RSL, just a short walk from the courts.

Registrations for the championships close on February 2. Visit www.tennissydney.org.au now and follow the links to register. There’s a $30 registration fee for non-Tennis Sydney members, or for only $50 you can become a Tennis Sydney member, entitling you to free registration to all Tennis Sydney tournaments held in the next year.