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Home , 2020 Sofia Open, 2020 US Open (tennis), Anthony Wilding, Chris Lewis (tennis), Frank Sedgman, French Tennis Federation

SEPTEMBER 2020

President Cecilie McIntyre [email protected] Page 1 IC Dinner Cancelled. US Open

Hon Sec. Angela Hart [email protected] Page 2 US and

Vice President Russell Tills [email protected] Page 3 News of members

Hon Treasurer Chris Ronayne [email protected] Pages 4-5 Becroft Family

Link to IC Council website www.ictennis.net Page 6 Looking well back...Kathleeen Nunneley

Have a look through this website and click the flags to see Pages 7-10 Continuing Trans Tasman Junior History news of the other countries. Also previous Newsletters via the NZ flag and noticeboard. Page 10 Drop Shots

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Cancellation of our Annual Dinner..... Covid-19

As members know, our usual May IC AGM went ahead via Zoom and we postponed the Annual Dinner part of the evening until the country was safely in Level One. However soon after the invitations went to members some Covid-19 links were found in the community and NZ was back to Level 2, with at Level 3. This has been reduced to Level 2.5 in Auckland but even if this dropped further it is still not considered safe to have around 80 members and guests together so the committee has decided to cancel the dinner.

The tennis world has been turned upside down since March, and it has been unusual to watch the greatly restricted US Open being played over the last two weeks. Well done to the organisers and players for completing this under difficult circumstances.

US Open Tournament Director Stacey Allaster said “The journey for the athletes, for their support teams, for the federations and the tournament organizers that we're partners with within the sport... this has been a blue- print to show everyone involved with our sport how we can return to play during this global pandemic.”

1 Two of our top doubles players, and lost their second round matches in the doubles. Marcus and his partner had a good win in their first, but although Michael and his regular partner won their first round they lost to a pair of Belgians who had upset the second seeds in their first match.

Well known Auckland tennis broadcaster Matt Brown has been posting interesting discussions with our players on the Tennis NZ website and FaceBook pages.

Our IC now has a FaceBook page and many of these conversations have been shared to this, so if you are on Facebook please search for International Lawn Tennis Club of NZ and follow (and Like) our updates.

This week I have added a conversation with and Eric Han, an hour long trip down memory lane. Also one with chatting with Matt about Roland Garros.

The Bryan twins.

It's fitting on many levels that in the year the fans didn't come through the US Open's gates, neither did the legendary . For the first time in a quarter-century, and , the twins from Camarillo, Calif., did not grace a US Open doubles draw with their presence. The 42 year olds had been planning to retire this year and when it was known there would be no spectators in they decided to bring their retirement forward as they had been anticipating saying thank you to their supporters. They are the most successful duo of all time. They held the World No 1 doubles ranking jointly for 438 weeks, Bob had surgery which kept him out of the game for a while so Mike has been ranked No 1 for 506 weeks. They won a record 119 tour titles surpassing ( and ) who won 61. Bob & Mike were finalists on 59 other occasions ...a great record. However they lost first round in NZ at the 2010 Heineken Open and again first round in 2015.

ROLAND GARROS At this stage plans are continuing for the which they prefer to be known now as Roland Garros, to begin on Sunday 27th September. Spectators will be limited in the two main stadiums, the and courts with 5000 people on each daily. The zone surrounding the third biggest court will host a maximum of 1,500 spectators a day. There will be no spectators allowed for the qualifying rounds. "Since the international circuit restarted, Roland Garros will be the first tournament with the privilege of hosting an audience," French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli said. As well as the new roof they have lights to be able to play in the evening.

2 News of Members

Julie Richardson and her daughter Jamie will be back in NZ for a few months. They are happy to leave the Seattle smoke and fires behind and have started their quarantining here this week. I'm I’m sure many of you will be pleased to catch up with her. Check her Facebook pages to keep in touch. She will be happy to hear from friends as they plan to travel around NZ.

Cameron Norrie. Recently Cameron accepted our invitation to become a member of ICNZ. Although he now plays for Great Britain he grew up in Auckland where his first coach was another IC Member Julia Sim. He spent the first part of the March-May Lockdown back in NZ with his family. There have been two “Getting to know you” articles about him , the most recent by Stuart Miller was after he caused an upset in the first round of the US Open.

“It took five sets, and nearly four hours, but 25-year-old scored the first major upset in the men’s draw at the 2020 U.S. Open, taking down , 3-6 ,4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 7-5. The 9th-ranked Argentine— who was a quarterfinalist in last year—won the first two sets due to Norrie’s sloppy play. But the Brit, ranked No. 76 in the world, wisely changed tactics and started slicing more and coming to net more. The southpaw won the last three sets, including the final four games, in which he staved off two match points. His personal flag would cover much of the English-speaking world. Norrie’s father is Scottish and his mother is Welsh, but he was born in South Africa and raised in . After showing potential in tennis, he moved to on his own, declaring himself British to receive more financial support than he would have in New Zealand. Then, he decided to attend college in America. He may be unknown and unseeded but he does have some pedigree. Norrie attended Texas Christian University; playing for the Horned Frogs, the lefty was named an All-American three times (an outstanding amateur player) and was the first TCU player to become America’s top-ranked college player. He has three Challenger singles titles and three Futures singles titles, and has also reached the semi-finals of one ATP 500 tournament. He has tenacity. Norrie’s biggest win, prior to today, was his debut match in Spain in 2018—he had turned pro less than a year earlier and had not played on clay in five years, yet Norrie came from two sets down to win against Roberto Bautista-Agut. “ We certainly know Roberto as he has been the winner of the ASB Classic twice.

In a series of articles about players’ First Coach and the most important lesson he/ she taught me, Cameron answered this way:

“My first coach was Julia Sim. I played at the Bucklands Beach Tennis Club in New Zealand, and I actually started playing right-handed [for three, four months] so she switched me to left-handed. That was probably my most important advice... My was horrendous because I did everything else left-handed. I wrote left-handed, so they just changed me, and from then on [I was 7], I played left-handed, and I was good. “ Read the article here

Michael Venus and John Peers are off to a great start in the Masters, beating and 6/3 7/5 in the first round. (Late News!!) They have just had a great 1 hour 40 minute win in the second round, beating Finland’s and ’s Jan Lennard Struff -7 6 (4) 3-6 14-12 after saving 4 match points in the match tie-break!

3 The Becroft Family. When we document some of the talents of our older members, we must remember the Becroft family and the wonderful achievements of them all. Peter Becroft and Elaine Stephanare long standing members of the ICNZ. They have been involved in NZ tennis for most of their lives, with their father, mother and sister, Yvonne, all showing a great interest in the sport and the achievements of the family. As children they grew up with a on their property so their love of the game began at an early age. Peter was a ranked NZ and Auckland player who played in the Benson and Hedges tournament in its early days and then continued on to play in the NZ Seniors events winning around 30 titles. He was a member of the Auckland Wilding shield team and travelled to the to complete a Doctorate in Philosophy in Los Angeles. Upon coming home to NZ he returned to his great love of tennis which is still part of his life today. Elaine has had an amazing record of longevity in tennis, having started as a Junior player in Auckland and continued on through Senior and Masters tennis here and overseas. She holds a BSC and taught Maths, Science and French at Epsom Girls Grammar School before retiring. She was a member of the winning Davison Shield team, playing for EGGS with Alison Glenie while they were teaching at the school. Her tennis achievements include 12 Auckland titles in Singles, Doubles and Mixed, 5 NZ doubles titles, 4 NZ Mixed doubles titles and numerous Masters and Senior titles, both here and around the world. Elaine played at Wimbledon, reaching the 3rd round of the singles and was ranked in NZ from 1952 to 1970. What an amazing record!!!! She travelled overseas in the late fifties and married in Germany. However she returned to NZ and has two children who both played tennis, Alice and Jules. Jules Stephan was a ranked NZ player and is now a member of our IC Club. This year during the first lockdown, when TNZ held the Premier Tennis League in Auckland, another Becroft cousin emerged. He is Isaac Becroft and the son Andrew Becroft, the well known Children's Commissioner from Wellington. It was so interesting to see him as part of one of the teams when the League was televised recently. Racquet sports are obviously a hereditary strength in the Becroft family and I can't finish this without mentioning another cousin, Stewart Becroft who was a highly competent Auckland Badminton Division player in the seventies and early eighties. Congratulations to all the Becroft family on a lifetime of great achievements in our wonderful game. (Thanks to Jill Bignell ) More photos on the next page. There is a little more about the Becroft family story on the email attachment if you are interested.

4 A Bundle of Becrofts

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Elaine with IC Hon Member Jean Murray with their gold medals in 2012.

Elaine with her TNZ Award as Senior Player of the Year in 2010 .

The next generation !! Elaine’s son Jules Stephan before receiving his tie at the 2019 dinner induction of new Members.

Jules is with Kathy and the late Paul Thomson our long serving Hon Treasurer, and his uncle Peter .

It is a year this month since Paul died.

January 2015. Elaine and the late 2017. Elaine with Jeff Sowter, who Murray Dunn after playing against the is now an Hon Member. visiting French IC team.

5 A LOOK FURTHER BACK INTO NEW ZEALAND TENNIS HISTORY !!

Kathleen Nunneley ( 1872-1956 ) was far and away the best woman tennis player in New Zealand in the late 1890s and early 1900s and though the game has changed out of sight, could still lay claim to being among the best New Zealand has had.

Born in Leicestershire, Nunneley had one significant victory in England before she came to New Zealand in 1895. She beat Blanche Dingley who as Blanche Hillyard won the Wimbledon singles six times. Kathleen never played at Wimbledon.

In New Zealand, Nunneley won the national singles The magnificent Nunneley Casket. title every year from 1895 to 1907, for the first 8 years losing only one set. Between 1896 and 1900, like Wimbledon, the defending champion only played one match, but it seems there were no players likely to upset her at that time.

Kathleen’s total of 32 national titles included 10 doubles titles and 9 mixed doubles, two of them with and she could have been as successful at Wimbledon as he was had she had the opportunity.

Nunneley had her tennis gold medals made into a trophy which as the Nunneley Casket was at stake in interprovincial women’s tennis for many years. She was made a Life Member of the Thorndon Club as well as the Wellington and New Zealand associations as she contributed to the game helping younger players. She made 3 trips back to England (by sea) and commented in 1949 after watching ‘Gorgeous Gussie’ Moran’s brief ( for those days) attire, how much more sensible it was. You can see from the photo that full length skirt, leg-of-mutton sleeves, cinch waistband, stiff collar and a straw boater were the norm! She had been a senior member of the staff of Wellington public libraries for 30 years, retiring in1935. When she died in 1956 the pall bearers were officials of the New Zealand and Wellington associations, an indication of the deep respect she had earned.

It would be really nice for NZ Tennis if the Nunneley Casket was revived for future competition.

6 Continuing the memories of Kevin Woolcott who captained many of the ICNZ Junior teams in the early 2000’s.

IC World Challenge Trophy History of IC Club Members of the prestigious International Club are international tennis players, men and women who have formed clubs around the world to promote tennis and renew friendships. There are 42 clubs throughout the world with a membership of around 4000. The IC Club of New Zealand has approximately 170 members. IC Clubs also have Honorary Members who are persons who have contributed considerably to the administration of international tennis.

The main aim of IC Clubs is the promotion of special unions and match play between players and teams from around the world, good fellowship among players, developing and encouraging the highest standard of sportsmanship and understanding among players of all nations and in particular junior players, welcoming and providing hospitality for teams and players from abroad, and providing contacts for its members to players and facilities around the world.

The July newsletter named all the players and captains who have been involved with the NZ Funds Trans Tasman events. My apologies for missing out the class of 2006. The team of James Meredith, , Abigail Guthrie and Tanya Samelodec . Captain Kevin Woolcott. The tie was won 6 to 4 by NZ at the Parnell Tennis Club Auckland.

Photo shows former NZIC President Des Shaw and Australian Captain

In 1999 Frank Sedgman and IC New Zealand agreed to a competition between 4 Teams from 4 different countries in Asia & Australa- sia, between 2 Junior boys and 2 Junior girls aged 16 or under on the day of play.

Sydney based PWC agreed to sponsor the event and the first match was held at Eden Epsom LTC early in 2000. North Asia won the Trophy - a Team consisting of 3 Japanese and 1 Chinese girl.

The matches were then held annually in with Tennis running the matches with IC of Australia.

They introduced 2 ITF Junior Tournaments (age 18 & under) after the Challenge and tried to encourage players from the Challenge to play in them. The advantage of playing the accompanying tournaments was for the players to earn ITF world Junior ranking points.

********************* The Sydney Branch office of PWC which was the sponsor was then taken over by IBM who continued as sponsors.

If there was a disappointment with the selection of the NZ teams it was often difficult to get the best players to be available, the reason being other than the ITF Junior tournaments in 2002, there were no ITF ranking points for the competitions.

2002 White City. Three teams, Great Britain, Australia, NZ.

(photo next page)

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2002 Team. Marina Erakovic, Charlotte Bellis, William Ward, Jono Hurley. Captain Kevin Woolcott.

Fourth from left a young Marina Erakovic who achieved a top WTA ranking of 39 in 2012

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Early October 2004 a new sponsorship agreement was signed on a three year basis, but one of the conditions was the sponsors wanted the competition to remain in Sydney.

2004 White City Sydney, Four teams, Japan, Great Britain, Australia, NZ. Captain Kevin Woolcott. NZ team. Jeffrey Birse, Andrew Allan, Shona Lee, Kairangi Vano. With here.

8 The event was then expanded in 2005 as the IC World Challenge Trophy where all continents competed in regional playoffs.

2005 World Regionals for Asia, Australasia, four teams at White City. Sydney. NZ, Australia, Malaysia and Japan. NZ team Jackson Bodle, Austin Childs, Kairangi Vano, Ellen Barry. Captain Kevin Woolcott. With Ken Rosewall. NZ a win overall to qualify for the World Junior Challenge Trophy to be played at White City in 2006.

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2006. The World Junior Challenge Trophy finals year, Olympic Park, Homebush, Sydney. Australia, Uruguay, NZ, Mexico, Japan and won by NZ. NZ team. Austin Childs, Daniel Moser, Ellen Barry, Sacha Jones. Captain Kevin Woolcott.

Day 1 defeated France, Day 2 defeated Mexico, Day 3 final defeated Australia 5 matches to one.

Its interesting to see Ken Rosewall and Frank Sedgman in these photos.

Our 2019 IC team was so pleased to meet them both on the Gold Coast last year.

The 2006 ICNZ World Challenge Trophy winning team with Frank Sedgman and Athol Tills.

9 . The following year 2007 Regional play offs were once again held this time in Auckland. Australia, Japan and NZ competed.

Australia won the competition, however for the 2008 finals NZ was able to compete as the host country considering Australia was unable to organise the event in Australia.

The 2007 NZ team Kevin Woolcott, Imogen Golder, Iona Teu, Roland Sokcevic and Jordan Kelly-Houston.

To be concluded in the next IC Newsletter . Thanks Kevin Drop Shots

World No.7 says he found it ‘tough’ that his parents couldn’t be with him at the US Open after both of them tested positive for the coronavirus. They are both negative now, but were not able to travel with him as they normally do. The German tennis star paid tribute to father Alexander and Mother Irina shortly after losing to in the final of the US Open. Zverev was on the verge of winning his maiden title multiple times but failed to cross the finish line. He led the match by two sets and attempted to for the win whilst leading 5-3 in the fifth. However it wasn’t to be as Thiem valiantly battled back to win 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (6). ******************************* Within four days has gone from playing in her first Grand Slam final since 2013 to hitting on the clay courts of the in Rome. The former world No.1 returned to competitive action on Wednesday fresh off her solid run in New York that has elevated her back up the rankings to inside the top 15 for the first time since 2017. Her latest challenger was veteran player who she disposed of 7-6(7), 6-2, to record her 12th win within the past month. Despite the straightforward score, Azarenka was tested throughout after being broken four times and had to fend off a set during the opener. “Obviously playing on a different surface was definitely challenging, but I feel like I have adapted pretty well,” said Azarenka. “I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I knew I wasn’t going to play a perfect game. But it was all about trying to find the right intentions to do today. I think it worked out okay. (Breaking News.) Rome second round...Victoria has beaten champion Kenin 6-0 6-0 although Sofia won 29 points ...scores can be deceptive!! **********************************

Early in 2020 we had discussions with the IC of Australia about the 2021 return match between our IC’s. Plans were underway to consider a match based around the Queenstown area in February ...but the Covid-19 pandemic has these in doubt now.

A message to make life easier for our Hon Treasurer Chris Ronayne. !! We still have 28 members who have not paid their $50 annual subscription yet. With the Covid -19 interruptions to our normal lives it is easy to overlook this. Please check if you are not sure you have paid, before we have to contact you personally. Our bank account number is ASB Bank 12-3011-0310411-00 Accounts were emailed in early June.

Keep safe in our smaller allowable groups at the moment. Once we have news about the usual January Classic Tournaments we will let you know. Planning is difficult at the moment in Australia as well and NZ. For the committee….. Cecilie McIntyre [email protected] or [email protected] 10