Craig Tiley on the increase in the number of people playing tennis in Australia

Australia has seen a big increase in the number of people playing the sport during May 2020, according to a report on the Tennis Australia website.

Australia sees an increase in the number of people playing tennis

As per the report, data obtained from the Book a Court online booking system shows a sharp increase in the number of people playing who played the sport during May 2020 as compared to the same time last year. A record number of 32,234 bookings were made across the country at 235 tennis venues using the booking system. 

Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley commented, "We’ve always known that tennis is a unique sport – it can be played by anyone no matter their age or ability – and now, during the pandemic, we are seeing more people enjoying the social, mental and physical benefits of sport while maintaining strict physical distancing measures. The increase in bookings we’ve seen across the country is not accidental. Safety and trust have been the most important factors as clubs and coaches across the country have prepared for the return to tennis and the team has done a remarkable job to give everyone the information and bio security protocols they need to get players back on court as safely as possible. And our clubs and tennis venues are seeing the rewards as a result of their efforts. As restrictions in most of the country continue to ease over the coming months we hope to build on these results as we approach our summer, and know that as long as we all continue to play our part and practice all the physical distancing and hygiene protocols, tennis at all levels can also play a major role in the recovery from this devastating pandemic."

Craig Tiley is the current CEO of Tennis Australia which is the governing body that oversees tennis in Australia. He is also the Director of the Australian Open. Tiley has also worked as a personal coach for professional tennis player Wayne Ferreira. He is also a retired U.S college tennis coach. During his stint as a coach in the collegiate system, he coached several players who later went on to play on the ATP Tour including Kevin Anderson, Amer Delic and Rajeev Ram. The Australian Open was the last Grand Slam tournament to be held this season. The French Open has been moved to September and Wimbledon has been cancelled for the first time since World War II. 

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2BmxO7o