Beach tennis hits New Zealand shores

New Zealand’s first ever serving of the exciting new sport, Beach Tennis, is taking place at the North Shore City Beach Tennis Bash on 28 February and 1 March.

This inaugural sporting event which merges tennis, badminton and beach volleyball into one energetic package, is being hosted by Tennis New Zealand in association which the North Shore City Council and will take place on the North Shore’s popular Takapuna Beach.



The two day event features two age groups, the 12 to 17 year old tournament on Saturday 28 February followed by the Open age bracket on the Sunday.

The event is open to anyone and includes a 64 mixed doubles draw meaning males and females will have to team up for what promises to be an exciting sporting spectacle.

Significant prizes have been put in place including a trip for two to New Caledonia, flying Aircalin, going to the open age group winners.

New Zealand’s number one ranked male hard court tennis player, Rubin Statham, finished runner-up in the men’s singles of the 3rd Annual Australian Beach Tennis Championships in Melbourne last month. Statham will be in Auckland at the time on Davis Cup duties (preparing for the Tie NZ vs Malaysia 6-8 March) – but may be on the beach to watch his brother Oliver, also a top beach- and hard court tennis player, compete. Many other top tennis players in Auckland have also expressed an interest in competing in the Beach Tennis Bash.



The sport of Beach Tennis is on the rise, rapidly igniting beaches across the Europe, USA and more recently Australasia. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) administers a Pro Global Beach Tennis Circuit, with the World Beach Tennis Championships being held in Ravenna, Italy each year. The sport is predominantly played as doubles using purposely built Beach Tennis paddle racquets and a slightly depressurised tennis ball. The net stands at 1.7 metres, the court similar to beach volleyball and of course the ball does not bounce.



On a national level, Tennis NZ aims to introduce the sport of Beach Tennis as a way of extending New Zealand’s ‘Summer of Tennis’.

‘Beach Tennis is a great way to broaden one of our most popular summer sports and of reaching new people outside of the traditional tennis community. It attracts a new tennis market while helping contribute to our healthy, active nation’ says event coordinator Daniel Kral. Leveraging off this launch event Tennis NZ plans to make amateur Beach Tennis Tournaments a regular summer sport happening throughout New Zealand beaches.



For further information on the North Shore City Beach Tennis Bash or to learn how you can register yourself visit www.tennisnz.com/beachtennis or contact beachtennis@tennisnz.com