{"id":34032,"date":"2025-08-12T09:20:47","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T23:50:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/sa\/?p=34032"},"modified":"2025-08-12T09:20:47","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T23:50:47","slug":"team-sa-serves-up-spirit-at-national-indigenous-tennis-carnival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/sa\/news\/2025\/08\/12\/team-sa-serves-up-spirit-at-national-indigenous-tennis-carnival","title":{"rendered":"Team SA Serves Up Spirit at National Indigenous Tennis Carnival!"},"content":{"rendered":"

South Australia\u2019s top young First Nations tennis talent returned from Darwin with outstanding results and unforgettable memories after competing at the 2025 National Indigenous Tennis Carnival (NITC)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The annual event brought together more than 160 players from across the country for four days of tennis, cultural celebration and connection, with competition across Hot Shots, Future Stars and Showdown events.<\/p>\n

Team SA showcased both their skill and spirit, highlighted by Namallarri Mckenzie\u2019s <\/strong>runner-up finish in the 14-and-under girls\u2019 singles championship<\/strong>, and Jamain Agius\u2019 <\/strong>recognition as South Australia\u2019s Deadly Award winner<\/strong> for leadership, sportsmanship and positive spirit on and off the court. The team also recorded strong collective performances, finishing fourth overall in the Ash Barty Cup<\/strong> and securing third place in the Future Stars <\/strong>event.<\/p>\n

Former world No.1 and 14-time Grand Slam champion Evonne Goolagong Cawley<\/strong> attended the carnival, sharing her wisdom and encouragement with participants.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis event is one of the most unique programs that I\u2019ve ever been in. It\u2019s not just about tennis \u2013 it\u2019s about education, meeting up with friends and making new friends,\u201d Goolagong Cawley said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe combination of tennis with culture can only make them stronger. I know that tennis made me more positive, more confident in myself, but when I learned about culture too\u2026 it made me even stronger. The combination is just unreal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alongside the on-court action, Team SA players took part in cultural workshops, dance and music sessions, and enjoyed a special performance by acclaimed First Nations rapper Barkaa<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Tennis SA Tennis Development Manager Luke Doughty<\/strong>, who attended as Team SA Supervisor, said the carnival was an inspiring and rewarding experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was so much more than a tennis tournament – it was a celebration of culture, community and connection. I\u2019m incredibly proud of how our team represented South Australia, showing skill, respect and genuine care for each other. Namallarri\u2019s finals run and Jamain\u2019s Deadly Award recognition were fantastic highlights, but every single player contributed to what was an unforgettable week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tennis SA CEO Debbie Sterrey<\/strong> said the event was a valuable step in strengthening opportunities as part of Tennis SA\u2019s broader strategic vision.<\/p>\n

\u201cCreating pathways that are inclusive and accessible for all South Australians is a core focus of our strategic plan. The National Indigenous Tennis Carnival not only provides elite competition, but also fosters connection to culture, which is vital in building confidence and community through tennis.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are committed to providing more opportunities for our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion pathways – both on and off the court,\u201d Sterrey said.<\/p>\n

The NITC also crowned national champions across the singles events, with Team SA\u2019s Namallarri Mckenzie<\/strong> defeating top-seeded opponents on her way to the 14-and-under girls\u2019 final, before finishing runner-up to Hazel Wright (NSW)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The event concluded with the presentation of the Ash Barty Cup<\/strong> to Queensland, recognising the top overall team across all divisions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

South Australia\u2019s top young First Nations tennis talent returned from Darwin with outstanding results and unforgettable memories after competing at the 2025 National Indigenous Tennis Carnival (NITC). The annual event brought together more than 160 players from across the country for four days of tennis, cultural celebration and connection, with competition across Hot Shots, Future […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6443,"featured_media":34034,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/sa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/sa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/sa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/sa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6443"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/sa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34032"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/sa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34032\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/sa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/sa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/sa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/sa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}