Australian Open fortnight not the only factor in the overall health of Australian tennis

Amid the unending gloom of Melbourne’s winter in stage four lockdown, the sight of empty tennis clubs and courts — usually hives of community and sporting activity — was among the eeriest.

I live far from the city, and one advantage of that is open space. Our local tennis club has 14 courts — 11 en tout cas and three rebound ace.

In my teens and 20s, with siblings and friends, I’d always book the rebound ace so we could avoid bagging the court afterwards.

Of course, plenty more onerous chores than that fall on the army of volunteers who keep such clubs running for 52 weeks every year, not just the fortnight of the Australian Open, when every hack with a dusty Wilson Pro Staff in the garage decides it’s time for a hit.

It is a fact…