INVERELL’S 71-year-old John Williams has been playing tennis all his life and it appears he is not about to stop now, especially after his veteran’s team (NSW Number 1 - 70 years) won the Australian Seniors Tennis Title in Canberra from January 11-16.
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“The NSW No 1 70s men’s team competed against Victoria1, South Australia 1, Queensland and New South Wales 2 and we were very fortunate and successful and completed the week without losing a set,” Williams said.
John’s team included Ian Fisher (the brother of Inverell’s ladies singles club champion in 1962, Margaret Dale), Don Biddle, (current world champion 75s singles player who won the world title in Antalya, Turkey in November 2014) and Alan Walsh (selected to represent Australia in the men’s 70 team to match his skills against the world’s best in Austria and the Czech Republic).
The Australian Seniors’ Tennis Championships are held every year with each state taking their turn to host the event. Around 800 players participate, coming from all states in Australia, New Zealand and Japan. The teams are made up of a minimum of four players per team and are selected to represent their state.
Williams said he thought there was not as much tennis played today as there was when he was growing up.
“It seems to have lost its popularity, although with the resurgence of people like Nick Kyrgios may stimulate enthusiasm once again, with a bit of luck.”
