Community tennis hasn’t just yielded plastic trophies – it’s given me 20 years of joy

A community tennis court in Hobart. ‘With its weathered club houses and diehard players, community tennis is the beating heart of the game.’ Photograph: William Caram/Alamy

This weekend, millions of people will watch in awe as the Australian Open champions drop to their knees in victory.

To me, that’s not real tennis: it’s showbiz. Real tennis is played far away from Melbourne Park, on dusty red suburban courts where juniors, seniors and midweek ladies duke it out in epic battles. With its weathered club houses and diehard players, community tennis is the beating heart of the game.