Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This year at the Brisbane International, I was delighted to also be a spectator for the Festival of Wheelchair Tennis. This festival, funded by the government, included ‘come and try' sessions, an exhibition with Dylan Alcott and Heath Davidson and competitive matches involving several elite players. The competition saw six of the top 20 internationally ranked players compete in a doubles tournament. Along with more than 16,000 people who came through the gates during the two days of play, I had a wonderful time watching these talented athletes, and I look forward to seeing continued growth of this format of tennis in Australia.

With the ATP World Team Cup coming to Brisbane in 2020, Tennis Queensland will again look to build on the 2019 wheelchair tennis event by engaging a larger playing field, and this time include a women's tournament and provide more community engagement opportunities for coaches, clubs and other stakeholders. The 2020 tournament will also launch the international wheelchair tennis calendar, providing a great lead-in to the Australian Open and the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

We all know the fundamental importance of sport to the health and wellbeing of a community, and I congratulate Tennis Queensland and Tennis Australia on their determination to make tennis a sport for all abilities.