From Rod Laver and Tony Roche to Lleyton Hewitt and Alex de Minaur, players from Australia’s golden age maintain links with the current crop
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ach year on the first Friday of Wimbledon, an increasingly large crowd flocks to a house near the All England Club for a very special party. Hosted by Tennis Australia, the “Aussie Barbecue” has become a fixture in the calendar, a celebration of tennis for current players, former stars, coaches, administrators and journalists.
The food and drinks are outstanding and even when the weather doesn’t play ball, a huge marquee protects the guests. But in addition to the fun, the evening also plays an important role, maintaining a link between generations of Australian tennis.
Australia is, of course, blessed with a rich heritage of champions. In the 1950s and 1960s, Australian men won 53 of 80 majors; in the 1960s, Australian women, led by Margaret Court, won 18 of the 40. From Frank Sedgman and Ken McGregor, to Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Tony Roche, John Newcombe and many more, Australians ran the roost, at home and abroad.
