Swan Hill VIC 3585, Australia, 14 November 2016 | Tennis Australia

Australian tennis legend and 22-time Grand Slam champion Todd Woodbridge was at The Swan Hill Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on Saturday 12 November with iconic Australian Open trophies, the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup and Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup.

The visit came as part of Australian Open 2017 celebrations, with Swan Hill claiming Novak Djokovic as their town representative earlier in the year after winning the Tennis Australia Free Tennis Day participation campaign.

By hosting a Free Tennis Day, clubs earned points for their town, with extra points earned for every person in attendance on the day. The top points-scoring towns were awarded with maindraw singles players to support on court at Australian Open 2016.

Swan Hill Tennis Club was paired with Novak Djokovic who became the Grand Slam Champion for 2016, with Swan Hill claiming the title as a champion of Australian Open 2016.

The day also saw the official opening of four new hardcourts, which are expected to be a massive boost for the tennis club and its members. The addition of a new surface will mean for first time ever the town will have tennis facilities available all year round.

Speaking after the event, Todd Woodbridge was excited to be involved in such a big day for the town.

“These events highlight the importance of Free Tennis Day and how tenni

s can work to unify and bring communities together,” said Woodbridge.

“It’s great to see how engaged clubs are with Free Tennis Days and the player/town association.

“Earlier in the year, Swan Hill was fortunate enough to meet Novak when they visited Melbourne for the Australia Open.

“Being able to provide these rewards for active clubs is fantastic… Free Tennis Days are a great way to increase community engagement at a club, and I urge all clubs to get involved for Australian Open 2017.”

The day was also highlighted by two long serving volunteers receiving Tennis Victoria Tennis Service Awards as recognition for their outstanding service to the Swan Hill Lawn and Croquet Club over a 30 year period. John Brookshaw and Trevor Holt were presented with a Tennis Service Award and a Highly Commended Service Award respectively

All clubs who run a Free Tennis Day on or before Sunday 4 December will go in the ballot for their town to be aligned with an Australian Open player.  The towns aligned to the winning players will win $5000 cash* T&C’s apply.

Free Tennis Days are currently happening all over Australia. To get involved and for your chance to win the 2017 Free Tennis Days campaign head to: www.tennis.com.au/free-tennis-days