GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA – 2 JULY 2019: Australia Teams Event in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

In 2019 the State Teams competition moved to the Gold Coast from its original venue, Melbourne Park, and players were placed in the 11 and under and 13 and under age brackets. The event involves teams of two or three players from each state competing in a round robin style tournament. In recent years teams from China, New Zealand and the Oceania Pacific have also been added to this event to provide extra strength and variety. One of the major benefits of this competition is that a manager/coach is present on court, in a similar style to that of Davis Cup/Billie Jean King Cup, to help guide the players through their matches.

It is very prestigious to be selected to represent your State and positions are always very competitive. Selections are made in the first four weeks of Term 2 by the Tennis West Performance Team.

The considerations by which players are selected are as follows:

• UTR
• Attitude/Behaviour
• Tournament results – in particular last 6 months of competition
• Head to head results

In the event that the selectors deem a position(s) too close to call, a ‘playoff’ may be required. This involves the selected players playing a best-of-three set match to determine that particular position. The format of the play off may vary depending on how many players are vying for a particular position or positions. The winning player(s) are granted selection to represent their state.