National Indigenous Tennis Carnival
A celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, through tennis.
The launch of a new event
The inaugural National Indigenous Tennis Carnival was launched in 2018 in Darwin, Northern Territory, to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture by bringing together Indigenous players from around Australia. The event was created as a both a participation and performance pathway opportunity for Indigenous tennis players.
A celebration of culture, through tennis
“We hope to create an event that is remembered for what happens both on and off the court and one that promotes the sharing of culture, health and wellbeing, inclusion and diversity,” Tennis Northern Territory CEO Sam Gibson said.
The largest ever gathering of Indigenous tennis players in one place
“I didn’t think I was going to be alive to see an event like this where you have Indigenous kids from all over Australia coming together for this kind of tournament, and it’s wonderful,” Evonne Goolagong Cawley said of the 200 participants from every state and territory at the event. The number of participants made it the largest ever gathering of Indigenous tennis players in one place.
National Indigenous Tennis Carnival 2018 Feature (2018) by Tennis AustraliaTennis Australia
The launch of 2019
Evonne Goolagong Cawley helped launch the 2019 National Indigenous Tennis Carnival alongside Tennis Australia Chair Jayne Hrdlicka: “It’s a dream come true to be part of this National Indigenous Tennis Carnival and to see how tennis can have such a positive impact on communities, and do so much good. The celebration of culture, improving the health and wellbeing of everyone involved and promoting education are all so important to me. I can’t wait to come to the event again this year,” Evonne Goolagong Cawley said.The 2019 event will take place from 29 August to 1 September.
Celebrating our Indigenous tennis ambassadors
The 2019 launch also revealed the start of a new mural showcasing Evonne Goolagong Cawley, of Wiradjuri descent, and world No.1 Ash Barty, who has Ngarigo heritage. Barty and Goolagong Cawley are the only two Australian women to achieve the world No.1 singles ranking in the modern era.
Continuing to build on the Indigenous tennis pathway
“Tennis has definitely grown in the Northern Territory in regards to the awareness of the sport and we are definitely starting to see higher engagement with tennis around the Territory and within different communities.” Tennis NT Indigenous Program Manager Joe Kelly said.
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