Richard Makes Wimbledon Debut!

Richard (Steeds) qualified for the MT700 – British Closed event, part of the Masters Tour (formerly known as IFT events).

Held at Wimbledon’s AELTC facility, matches were played on the Aorangi practice courts. Previously, some matches were on main courts but now exclusively on Aorangi. Aorangi offered excellent facilities including change rooms, physio, and a kitchen. The only complaint — no beer on tap, Pimms was on tap! Beer was $A12 a bottle!

Open to various age groups, from 30 to 90 in 5-year intervals, some matches were also at the AELTC Community Tennis Centre Raynes Park. The latter has grass and indoor courts available for public hire.

Richard played in the Men’s +60 and Men’s doubles +60 events. He won his first round singles played at Aorangi and played my doubles later that day. A strong match losing to a good pair. He reported that the courts were slower than Manly’s mod grass courts.

Day 2 at Raynes Park: Richard played the 4th seed in singles. It was a windy morning that turned rainy by 1:15pm, leaving the match unfinished at one set each. The match resumed indoors at 6pm. Transitioning to an indoor court proved challenging and his opponent adapted more quickly. Ultimately, Richard lost the match.

What a great experience! Well done Richard!!

 For more details, refer to the tournament’s website: https://itfmasters.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/draws.aspx?id=0B1E26CB-E355-4374-B4CC-4210C93AA60E.