The Manly Seaside Tennis Championships is one of Sydney’s longest running tournaments. It is held at the Manly Lawn Tennis Club on Boxing Day every year, concluding with a finals day on New Year’s Eve.
During the 40s, 50s and 60s the Manly Lawn Tennis Club was used as the venue for the Australian team in the Davis Cup Challenge Round. Back then, it also started on Boxing Day and was completed over the two following days. Many overseas players played in the Seaside Tournament marking it the first tournament in the Australian tennis calendar at that time. The season finished with the Australian Championships, now known as, “The Aussie Open”.
Today, the Manly Seaside Tennis Championships is still going strong and is an important part of the Australian satellite tennis circuit.
Over the Christmas period, when most people are away from work on holidays and my practice is less busy, I choose to help the players of the seaside tournament by setting up an outdoor treatment station behind the main courts of the club.
For many, this time of year is a time to take a break from work, rest and recharge for the new year. As everyone knows however, tennis is my absolute passion, and spending boxing day through new year’s eve watching, playing and treating tennis players, is hardly work for me at all.
Typically, the injuries I see are arm pain (shoulder, elbow, wrist), lower back and hip pain. Tennis is a very asymmetrical sport, thus we can expect a lot of injuries to develop. Playing lots and at a high standard means the development of imbalances throughout the body. It should come as no surprise that the racquet arm presents the most amount of injury. In tournaments like the Manly Seaside Championships, it is not uncommon for players to have two to three matches per day. Given the tournament is always of a very high standard, playing six to eight sets per day can be very taxing on the playing arm, not to mention the rest of the body.
Providing treatment at these sorts of events has reminded me how little upcoming players know about their sport and their bodies. Most of the injuries, particularly in the racket arm, can be prevented through proper set up or customisation of the racquet frame and strings. Weight, swing-weight, string type and tension are all fundamental factors of the racquet setup that influence the body’s reaction to hitting tennis balls. I feel that many injuries could be prevented by understanding the physics of a ball colliding with the racket frame and string bed, and how this might affect your arm during tennis.
Most young tennis players believe the route to becoming as good a tennis player as possible, simply revolves around hitting more tennis balls and playing more matches. Repetition is the mother of skill, but it also leads to repetitive strain injuries. Players need to insure against such injuries by investing valuable time in the gym and on the track. At some point in a young player’s tennis career, some thought should be put towards tailored resistance and speed work programs. It should not be solely tennis lessons and tournaments.
Every year the Manly Seaside Tennis Championships is played, there is a handful of entries who have gained ATP ranking points. Players wanting to score their first ATP point can benefit from speaking to such players and learning about their professional approach to tennis. You will often find that these players have an understanding of the importance of an off-court training program, and a network of health professionals they use to manage injuries throughout the year.
The Manly Seaside Tennis Championships is easily my favourite Australian Money Tournament of the year. The courts are close to the beach with many locals and tourists walking by. It sees the tournament well-spectated and alive with a fanatastic atmosphere. The tournament regularly attracts top Australian players and often many overseas players as well. Below you can see familiar sights of the tournament including the record of past champions. Do you recognise any names?
Marc Dragan (yellow shirt) – a man who really needs no introduction. Marc was was Australia’s first professional triathlete and in 1985 became the first Australian man to win a full length Ironman distance triathlon. Marc was also an accomplished tennis player reaching the qualifying draws of both the Australian Open and Wimbledon Tennis Championships. He has been one of the tournament directors for many years and can be heard regularly throughout the tournament over the club PA system (when it works).
From left – Tom Tyrrel and Scott Blackburn (both part of the furniture at Manly Seaside Tennis). These two Manly legends work in the engine room of the Seaside tournament. Tom can be found in the pro shop stringing rackets all week, or outside having a smoke. Chef Scotty is usually playing with a different sort of smoke on the bbq out back.
Seated left – Max Ward has been the tournament referee for decades. He is that committed to his job at the Seaside that he sleeps in the club house for the duration of the tournament.
If you’re a tennis player suffering an injury, you can seek valuable advice from chiropractor, Tom Cartwright. Tom has played for many years on the Australian Money Tournament circuit including gaining experience in two ITF futures tournaments in 2012, in Africa.
If you have never come to see the action at the Manly Seaside Tennis Tournament before, make sure you come down this year – it’s always a cracker of a tournament!
