I was only eight years old when my tennis-mad grandmother presented with me my very first racquet, her old wooden Slazenger which probably hadn’t fired a shot since the early 1930s. Not long after she took me to Kooyong to watch an exhibition match involving the veteran Ozzie Ken Rosewall with the super backhand competing with the dazzling dark-skinned American Arthur Ashe. So began a lifetime of enchantment with the beautiful game of tennis.
Armed with an upgraded (but still wooden) Dunlop and a pair of Volleys, I soon began lessons at the Caulfield Park courts, and would later move onto Hurlingham Park, East Malvern, and eventually Ajax Maccabi in Alma Road, St Kilda. At Caulfield Park I managed to beat a few other boys my own age, and naturally thought I was on the way to champion status. So I entered an Under 11 tournament at Grace Park in Hawthorn, and was drawn to play a certain Pat Cash in the first round. Cash was a few months younger than me, but much taller, and had a big serve and a killer volley. I got smashed 6-0 although proudly managed to lead 40-0 on my serve in the final game before folding. His dad told my grandmother afterwards that Pat hoped to become a professional. She also claimed he asked whether I would be interested in being Pat’s hitting partner, but my grandmother did have a habit of fibbing.
A few years later I played Cash’s doubles partner Mark Hartnett in the second round of a junior tournament at Kooyong. Hartnett had an amazing kick serve which I couldn’t lay a racquet on. He was arguably even better than Cash, but unfortunately chronic injuries as a teenager prevented him from joining the professional tour. My career as a suburban journeyman continued. I played regular weekend competition till I was about 25 years, and even won a couple of junior club championships. But the problem was that whilst I had a decent top-spin forehand modelled on my heroes Borg and Vilas, my backhand was little more than a defensive prod, and my serve was a rather soft slice which irritated average hackers, but generally got smashed by serious players.
My ball-boying career at the 1977 and 1978 Australian Opens was arguably more successful. Those were the days, no hats or sun-cream under the hot 30 degree Christmas sun at Kooyong. I got to work with lots of good players including Roscoe Tanner, Chris Lewis, Ken Rosewall and doubles champ Sherwood Stewart. My highlight was the 1978 Women’s Doubles title won by the blonde Czech Renata Tomanova and her American partner Betsy Nagelsen. During the match a friend of mine in the crowd yelled out “Have a go Mendes” as I was throwing the ball to the delectable Tomanova. I turned a bright red amidst the laughter of the crowd.
In 1978 my parents finally allowed me to stay up late and watch a Wimbledon Final live. It was Borg versus Connors and the Iceman prevailed in straight sets hitting inch perfect passing shots every time Jimbo ventured into the net. In 1979 Borg just held off the huge server Roscoe Tanner. Then came the 1980 classic final which I was forced to watch at our Year 11 school camp in Ballarat amidst a horde of unwashed barbarians who knew nothing about tennis. At the end of the famous long fourth set tiebreaker they screamed in unison that Mac had it won. But I sat quietly knowing that the Iceman would prevail as he did in the fifth.
In the late 1980s and 1990s I lost a bit of interest in tennis. Other than Pat Cash the Australians were fairly ordinary. And once the stars of my childhood such as Borg, Vilas and then McEnroe retired or slowed down, many of the other top players seemed bland in comparison. It was hard to get excited about Lendl, Chang, Courier, Sampras, Kafelnikov, Rios and the various bland Eastern European baseliners yawn, yawn. But then the rise of Rafter, Hewitt and Scud drew me back. And later the sublime skills of Federer, Nadal and Djokovich have proved a joy to watch.
As for playing, I found a regular partner (and now dear friend) of relatively similar ability 20 years ago, and we have been hitting ever since. My backhand and serve have even improved over time. And watching my son Lucas develop his tennis skills has been a pleasure. We managed to win the Boroondara Easter Classic Father and Son doubles title together in 2009 when he was only 10 years old. That was special.
The great thing about tennis though, is that you don’t need to recruit a whole team or even a partner to play. I absolutely love going down to the local tennis wall and just belting the ball for 20 or 30 minutes. It’s great for fitness, and also majorly therapeutic. All the cares of the world quickly fade away.
Whether it be baking in the sun at Kooyong, catching a hidden gem of a match on an outside court at Flinder’s Park or bagging the antbed (en tout cas) courts after a few sets at the local tennis club we’d love to hear your stories and memories of tennis. Read more here.
About Philip Mendes
Philip Mendes is an academic who follows AFL, soccer, tennis and cricket. He supported Fitzroy Football Club from 1970-1996, and on their death he adopted the North Melbourne Kangaroos as his new team. In his spare time, he occasionally writes about his current and past football teams.
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Sherwood Stewart, he’s a blast from the past! Jog my memory Phil, Sherwood won a doubles title down under in this period. Can you recall if it was the Australain Open or In Sydney ?
Glen!
There’s a ‘tennis wall’ near me in Elwood at Elwood Park. I often see people getting the forehand going and think I to myself that “I should have a crack at that”, but never do.
I agree that cashy was wonderful Phil but I thought Peter mcnamaras ascent to world number 6 prior to injury mark edmondsons win at the open over Newcombe in 1976 and John Alexander’s win over the urbane adrianno pannatta in the David cup in 1977 at white city were also great australian highlights
The two Macs wins in the Wimbledon doubles, as well as Peter McNamaras win in the German Open, 1982, plus his big win on carpet in a European tournament in early 1983, can’t remember the tournaments name, just prior to buggerng his knee, are worthy of inclusion. Phil Dent also played some good tennis in this time, with 1977 eing a stirling year for ‘Philby’.
Glen!
Hi Phil,
I enjoyed reading your story. It sounds that enjoying the sport is more important.
I am sad to hear that you can’t find attractive in professional tennis any more. But it’s good to hear that you still enjoy playing tennis. Hope I will gain being motivated to play tennis again soon.
Great stuff! Cheers.
Yoshi
Glen – Stewart won the Sydney Indoor doubles title in 1978, and the Aust Open doubles title in 1984. In 1977, he actually beat Ken Rosewall, who was about 43 years old by then but still a tough player in the singles. Steve – there are some great tennis walls around: Grace Park in Hawthorn and Caulfield Park are two good ones. The best ones even have wire fences above to stop the ball going over. We are lucky enough to have a wall inside our tennis club at Kew. Ian – remember JA’s amazing win over Panatta in 1977 well. Panatta had won the French and Italian Opens the year before so a seriously good player, although less effective on grass. JA unfortunately never performed at his best in the Grand Slams.
With the French Open approaching within the next months, I used to enjoy playing tennis but Philip was always a better player than me.
Kooyong was a brilliant venue to watch tennis back in the day. Watching Ken Rosewall, although he lost, play Roscoe Tanner in the semi finals of the Australian Open at Kooyong was a highlight, as was watching McEnroe play Leconte on an outside court, and of course, the 1986 Davis Cup win, final day, over Sweden in 1986 (didn’t go in 1983).
At school, my main claim to fame was being the best table tennis player in my year, as well as the being the best down ball player, where my schoolmates would often tell me I had a Rosewall backhand, which is as good a compliment you can get at school in those days. Pity I couldn’t hit a decent backhand on the tennis court.
I hope Carlos Alcaraz has also drawn Phillip back to the tennis. Alcaraz is the only player I would pay good money to watch. He is not only a brilliant tennis player, but entertaining.
Going into the club houses at Kooyong and seeing people like Cash and Fitzgerald eating their meals and talking to the fans was a highlight too.
As good as the Australian Open is now at Melbourne Park, I miss the tennis at Kooyong. The exhibition event at Kooyong, prior to the Australian Open, isn’t the same.
Great comments and memories Anon. Those were fun days at Kooyong for sure. I’m still enjoying hitting a few times a week at Kew Tennis Club despite an arthritic hip condition which sometimes doesn’t behave itself.
Moin Anon, the 2026 French Open is just a few weeks away. It’s scary to acknowledge the 1976 French Open was 50 years ago.
Kim Warwick, with South Africa’s, Ilana Kloss won the mixed doubles, that was Australia’s claim to fame that year.
Looking at the men’s tournament, John Newcombe was the only Australian seeded. He fell in the first round, as did his Australian Open conqueror Mark Edmondson. Edmondson got through to the 1/4 finals of the men’s doubles.
Wimbledon 1976 followed a few weeks later, but that’s another story for another time.
Glen!
Good memories from you Glen, as far as the Australian results from the 1976 French Open are concerned. I also noticed that the South African player you mentioned, Ilana Kloss, won the 1976 US Open Women’s Doubles that year too. She was also ranked the number 1 Women’s doubles player in 1976 and World No. 19 in singles in 1979.
Around that time 1979-early 1980s, I didn’t have a poster of Ilana Kloss on my wall, but rather Bettina Bunge from Germany, and Sue Barker was a favourite of mine when she visited Kooyong. Both were good tennis players too.
I also enjoyed playing cricket with my next door neighbours around that time. I wasn’t a great cricketer but another of my main claim to fames were “I Made a Hundred in the Backyard at Mum’s!”.
Bettina Bunge; now there’s a name. Having a poster of her on your wall back then makes total sense. Sadly she didn’t seem to have a long career. Got up to 6 in the world, then moved on. More’s the pity.
Ilana Kloss was a contemporary of Greer Stevens. If my memory is still functioning the latter reached top 10 in women’s singles, also lifted a few Grand Slam mixed doubles titles.
I also played a lot of backyard cricket in that time, progressed into/through the under 16’s, then into B matting. No more from there.
It is quite disconcerting realising how long ago these events were. In life many days drag on for an eternity but your actual life flies.
Glen!
That’s true about life. I even remember kindergarten and my first day at school. Also, how could I fail to mention that Sue Barker won the French Open in 1976, and it’s now the 50th anniversary of her only Grand Slam singles title coming up soon.
I remember Greer Stevens.
Annabel Croft then replaced Bettina Bunge, as the glamorous female tennis player. Annabel’s main claim to fame was winning the Wimbledon and Australian Open girl’s tournaments in 1984, achieving a world singles ranking of 24, and beating our own Wendy Turnbull in the final of the Virginia Slims of San Diego in straight sets in 1985.
Like her countrywoman Sue Barker, Annabel Croft has made a great career as a television presenter. Therefore, tennis and its aftermath, can be a Game of Beauty in more ways than one.
Anyway, they were the good old days. Will another make or female Australian tennis player ever win another another Senior Grand Slam singles title, let alone the Australian Open, now that Ash Barty has well and truly retired and more than likely, won’t make a singles comeback?
The answer is I don’t think it will be Alex Di Minaur or any other Australian tennis player, but who knows. After the big 3 in Nadal, Federer and Djokovic, Alcaraz came along with Sinner.
The problem is Australia don’t have an equivalent but 1 or 2 Grand Slams titles these days like what Cash, Rafter and Hewitt achieved may not be impossible. In reality though, it probably is because unless they’re injured and not playing in Grand Slam singles tournaments, I can only see Alcaraz and Sinner dominating winning future Grand Slam singles titles.
Gut gesagt Anon.
Australian tennis reflects Australia. In the halcyon days the world was a larger place, many nations didn’t have the resources for tennis players to compete away from their homeland. Look at the tennis world pre WW2 , take away Northern Europe, Australia, the USA, not many other nations were prominent. Then post WW2 the Cold War limited who played, when, where. Of course this coincided with the amateur/professional schism. In 2026 the world is a smaller place, Australia sits in its place as middle ranked player on the world stage, and we should be appreciative if/when Australians do well.
Hopefully Ash Barty remains retired. She went out on top, and it’d be great to always recall her as the champion she was: comebacks for champions usually aren’t good, look at Jimmy Carruthers record.
One day an Australian man may again reach the heights, De Minaur has reached a few Grand Slam quarters, it’d be great if he got a semi somewhere in his career. I’d be happy if we have a couple of men in the top 50, and 10 or so in the top 100. We did this regularly in the late 70’s, early 80’s , times that certainly weren’t a glorious era.
The future is unwritten.
Glen!
Well summarised Glen about the current predicament of Australian tennis.
Getting back the title of this article of Tennis as a Game of Beauty and Well-Being, it would be remiss of me not to mention Renáta Tomanová, who Philip had the pleasure of once being one of her her ball boys at the Australian Open. If only the crowd has also shouted out “Lucky Phill”, as he was tossing a tennis ball to her. Of course “Lucky Phil” only later eventuated in a famous Australian television commercial character from a 1983 Road Traffic Authority public safety advertisement.
If I had been the ball boy, I would have asked Renáta Tomanová for her autograph at the end of the match. Of course, a selfie with her would have been better, but of course, it didn’t exist back then.
Renáta Tomanová was probably the first professional tennis beauty I ever saw playing on a tennis court (ok maybe it was around the time I first saw Chris Evert, but Tomanová was definitely ahead of her as a beauty in my opinion).
Renáta Tomanová was also a very good tennis player, having made the final of both the Australian Open in 1976 and the final of the French Open in 1976, her 50th anniversary. She also won the Australian Open Women’s Doubles in 1978, the French Open mixed doubles in 1978, the Fed Cup in 1975, 4 career titles and a highest singles ranking of 22.
Currently aged 71, Czech former professional tennis player, Renáta Tomonova was active on the senior tour, and in 2011, she received the Deutsche Tennis Preis from the German tennis federation for her achievements during the 2010 season.
Evonne Goolagong-Cawley definitely had a tennis game of beauty. Ash Barty to me, had a modern version of her game.
Of the current crop of Australian female tennis players, the closest Australia has to having a tennis beauty is Taylah Preston, who although only currently ranked 152, did well getting to the 2nd round of the 2026 Australian Open and the semi final of the Hobart International in 2026.
On form in Australian women’s tennis, Talia Gibson has the game to go further than all of them. Currently ranked 56 in singles, she has had very good wins this year and was selected to play in the Billie Jean Cup, potentially making her debut in singles with Maya Joint against Great Britain on April 10-11 at Melbourne’s John Cain Arena.
Emerson Jones will make it as a top professional tennis player, but like Ash Barty, we’ll need to be very patient. Often you think with top up and coming junior players, they never reach their potential for various reasons. However, with Ash Barty, I thought the best she would reach would be too 30, maybe top 10, but never did I imagine she would go on to win 3 Grand Slam singles titles, especially in the era where most of the female tennis players hit the ball extremely hard.
It all started with the great Monica Seles, who I had the pleasure of being there in the stands of centre court at Melbourne Park, watching her win 3 Australian Opens in a row from 1991-93. I wasn’t there to see her win the Australian Open in 1996.
Great reminiscences all. Talia Gibson is well on the way to being a top 20 player, given she beat numerous seeded players in the two recent Indian Wells and Miami tournaments. We were lucky enough to watch her lived against the top 20 player Diana Shnaider in the second round of this year’s Australia Open. She lost that match in a close three setter after holding a match point in the second set, and probably learnt plenty from her defeat. Emerson Jones is definitely also a talent, and given her young age, has plenty of time to develop greater power on her serve and forehand. Her backhand is world class. Taylah Preston is also highly promising. We seem to have more promising females than men at the moment. Other than the terrific DEMON, most of the Australian men in the top 150 are 25 years or older. Popyrin should have beaten Tiafoe in the quarter final of the US Clay Court tournament a few days ago after having match point in the third set tiebreaker. He doesn’t seem to play the percentages enough.