Who's For Tennis?

In 1968, Australian Diary turned its lens to a sport in transition and asked: Was Australia losing interest in tennis?

At a time when crowds at major matches were thinning, tennis courts were being abandoned, and public enthusiasm looked uncertain, this short film explored whether the era of tennis as a dominant summer sport was coming to an end.  

The seven-minute colour newsreel captures a specific moment in the sport’s history. At one point, the film’s narration posed the question, 'Will Open Tennis change the scene?' This referenced the seismic shift introduced in the year the film was produced.

Known as ‘the Open Era’, from 1968, professional tennis players were eligible to enter the major tennis tournaments, including the four Grand Slam events. Previously, entry was available only to amateur players competing at the Wimbledon, Australian, French and US Opens, shutting out many of the sport’s finest players.

This newsreel also posed the question of whether tennis’ popularity as a social pastime would remain as high when competing with newer interests pursued by young people in ‘today’s fast-moving scene’.

Highlighting the growing lure of other, higher-energy activities, sequences of young girls marching and training in perfectly regimented lines are juxtaposed with shots of boys trail-biking and playing rugby union. Produced by the Australian Commonwealth Film Unit and preserved by the NFSA, this piece is a rare look at the cultural crossroads facing the sport in the late 1960s.