Many of the country's top men players have been in action at a small tennis tournament today.
Fiordland's renowned for many things, but until now tennis has not been one of them. But the sport is flourishing in Te Anau. It has some new facilities, and membership at the local club is going ahead in leaps and bounds.
"We've grown from when we started, from six to about 50, so it's going quite well," says Te Anau Tennis Club president Greg Sheppard.
Now for the first time, they have their own tournament, with a $10,000 prize pool. It's limited to just 12 men, but has attracted some top Kiwi talent, including current and former Davis Cup players.
"It's a fantastic venue, a great part of the world, and it's very special," says former New Zealand player Alastair Hunt. "We've been looking forward to it and it's a great break for me and my family."
"My coach told me about it and I had another tournament to do, but it sounded pretty good so I came down," says player Finn Tearney.
And there are grand plans to make it an annual event.
"With the support we've had from the township and business, I think it's something that will be ongoing," says Mr Sheppard.
Among the changes they are contemplating is to make it for both men and women and to shift the dates so it doesn't clash with the ASB Classic in Auckland.
3 News
source: newshub archive
