US Open trophy finds a new home in rural Queensland
The biggest names in tennis are about to battle it out in one of the oldest international grand slam tournaments in the world - the US Open. One of the championship's coveted trophies has a new home at a small rural tennis club in central Queensland to inspire a new generation to the sport.
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00:00Theodore Tennis Club has six courts, a modest clubhouse, 123 members and an impressive trophy
00:10cabinet.
00:11It is very, very special.
00:13The club's prized possession is kept under lock and key.
00:16The US Open trophy was won by Mel Anderson in 1957.
00:22And it truly is a special honour to be able to house this trophy at our clubhouse.
00:28The former Theodore local became the first unseeded player to win the singles title,
00:33beating fellow Aussie and number one seed Ashley Cooper.
00:36It hit a very purple spot, which I managed to get up and win it in straight sets.
00:44The almost 90-year-old has kept his winning racket, but decided to donate the trophy to
00:49his old club, along with an Australian Doubles trophy he won with John Newcombe and a Davis
00:55Cup replica.
00:56It's just something that I knew that it would be looked after and a good talking point when
01:01people come, I thought.
01:03More than 12 Australians have won the US Open in its 143-year history, including Rod Laver,
01:10Margaret Court, Pat Rafter and Leighton Hewitt.
01:14Tennis Australia hopes their victories, and gifts like Mel Anderson's, inspires current
01:20players to aim just as high.
01:23Mel says becoming a great tennis player is 10% talent and 90% heart.
01:30You've got to love the game if you're going to improve, you've got to really want to be
01:35better.
01:36A message not lost on his old club.