Moving tennis from Brisbane would be black mark for 2032 Games

The Olympic tennis tournament in July 2032 must be played under Brisbane’s soothing late winter sun at the Queensland Tennis Centre not in chilly Melbourne, writes Robert Craddock.

The Pat Rafter Arena at the Queensland Tennis Centre. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Ever tried to play a drop volley when your wrist has been frozen by 11C temperatures?

Melbourne in July is a great place for fine dining, coffee, football and Netflix.

But tennis? No.

The 2032 Olympic tennis tournament in July 2032 must be played under Brisbane’s soothing late winter sun at the Queensland Tennis Centre not in chilly Melbourne.

Bring the tennis to Tennyson, we say.

It should be one of the set-and-forget venues of the Games. In fact, you could do worse than get Pat Rafter and Ash Barty to light the Olympic torch.

If Brisbane has to offload sports such as tennis to Melbourne, it is a black mark for the 2032 Games.

A proposed upgrade of the Queensland Tennis Centre to keep the Olympic and Paralympic competition in Queensland. Picture: SUPPLIED

But the closer we come to the unveiling of the state government’s master plan for Olympic venues on March 25, the more we learn that the fight for dollars is becoming incredibly tense.

The dash for cash deserves its own medal dais.

Nothing is certain. From the huge sports such as swimming and athletics to the small and fading ones such as shooting, officials are waiting anxiously to learn about their new homes.

The money spent on upgrading the Tennis Centre – if it lobs – will have significant long-term benefits because it will secure the future of the Brisbane International Tennis tournament, which had seven sold-out sessions this year and will only get bigger.

Tennis legend at his namesake arena after a charity doubles match with Ash Barty at the Brisbane International in 2024. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

The venue will need the $113m spent on it to bring it up to somewhere near where the International Tennis Federation believes Olympic venues should be.

It’s a big spend, but the legacy is there.

Some sports cannot be done on the ultra-cheap and tennis is one of them. When you have a competition featuring 184 players from 40 countries, you need decent facilities.

The pressure is mounting on the government to spend its limited resources wisely. Anyone for loaves and fishes?

Originally published as Moving tennis from Brisbane would be black mark for 2032 Games