At first look, there were more people crowded along the length of the baseline than there were in the stands at the Kia Arena. One by one, they had emerged onto the court, appearing, at best, a mixed bunch. Half of the 32-player field were current or former professionals, from Andrey Rublev, a top-10 star and Australian Open quarter-finalist, to Iva Majoli, the 1997 French Open champion.
The other 16 were amateurs, regular folk, picked from tennis clubs across Australia. Among them were Bruce Saunders, the oldest competitor at 72, stepping onto court in a wide-brimmed hat, and the 56-year-old Paul ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald, who over the course of an hour would take down three professional players in a row and write himself into local legend.
