Behind the laughs, volleys and passion for the game is the overarching reason for the Kooyong Foundation’s Pro-Am – to raise funds for young and aspirational tennis players.
The kids win again.
Behind the laughs, volleys and passion for the game is the overarching reason for the Kooyong Foundation’s Pro-Am – to raise funds for young and aspirational tennis players.
The likes of Sam Stosur, John Millman, Paul McNamee, Nicole Bradtke, Sam Groth, Richard Fromberg, Louise Pleming, Luke Saville, Omar Jasika and Marc Polmans, plus 12 corporate teams, turned up on December 2nd to support the Foundation’s cause.
Many of those tennis stars have supported all four editions of the event to date.
When all is said and done, about another $80,000 will be added to the Foundation’s coffers from the Pro-Am, with significant thanks to major sponsor Askin Performance Panels.
The Kooyong Foundation has raised $3 million and counting for more than 1000 players since it started two decades ago.
Pro-Am founder David Bidmeade said it was incredibly satisfying to see the Kooyong Foundation make such a difference to young lives.
“Brian Cooney and I and the rest of the team worked really hard to put this Pro-Am event together, so it’s great to see it be such a success”
“We have about 100 players under our banner at the moment, including 17 at college in the United States,” Bidmeade said.
“The rest are here. Some are really young, playing junior tournaments, and some are starting to play on the pro circuit. There are so many different levels, and there are not really any avenues that cover all that."
“Obviously, Tennis Australia has development programs and academies, and we coordinate with them because many of our players are involved in those programs, but having this Foundation for the tennis community is massive.”
As usual, there was a professional player and a Kooyong Foundation scholarship-holder on each of the teams.
Two of the Foundation’s best prospects, 16-year-old Ava Beck and 15-year-old Koharu “Koko” Nishikawa, represented Australia at the Junior Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Türkiye in November.
Beck, who has just broken into the world’s top 100 juniors,was awarded Tennis Victoria’s junior female player of the year in 2024. She played in the Pro-Am for the first time this week.
“It was such a fun day. The weather was really nice and everyone had a great time,” Beck said.
“Kooyong is an amazing club, and I’m so fortunate to be apart of the Foundation –they’ve supported me so much.”
The generosity of Kooyong Foundation benefactors was on display a year ago when Nishikawa received a donation after how maturely she spoke about her experiences at the 2023 Foundation Pro-Am.
Long-time tennis coach and former tour player Julie Fidler’s team, The Mind Whisperer, edged out defending champion BlueRock Investment in this year’s final.
Joining team captain Fidler – the Victorian Spirit of Tennis Award recipient last year – in the winning team were Lucas Vuradin, Flynn Caruana, Grant Spierings, Richard Dodson, Richard Fromberg, Joe Sirianni and scholarship-holder Pauline Ma.
“I played last year and loved it so much that I decided tohave my own team this year,” Fidler said.
“I love that the Foundation is helping young people pursue a career and dreams they otherwise wouldn’t be able to."
By Marc McGowan
