A promising tennis talent was given the opportunity of a lifetime to rub shoulders with some of the best at this year’s Australian Open as a ballplayer.
Key points:
- Geraldton teenager Tia Bellotti’s tennis career has already taken her across Australia
- Bellotti says accuracy and speed are essential skills for every ballplayer
- The scholar will move closer to Perth to pursue more tennis opportunities.
Geraldton teenager Tia Bellotti, 15, traveled to Melbourne after being accepted into the National Indigenous Ballkid program.
Throughout the Australian Open, ball boys are responsible for collecting used balls and providing new ones to players on the court.
Trials of the program took place in Darwin in August.
“I just wanted to do it for fun,” Bellotti said.
“When I was chosen, they announced it in front of everyone and I was really shocked.“
Bellotti says accuracy and speed are essential skills for every ballplayer.
“It’s really scary, especially with professional tennis players, because they serve so hard,” she said.
Bellotti coached tennis at Tarcoola Park. (Provided: Jarron Kretschmann)
“You have to roll (the ball) in a straight line and it can’t bounce off the ground like some other kids do.
“Every time I do it, it turns out perfectly.”
Bellotti tells him that the path to his “incredible” selection “all started at Tarcoola Park Tennis Club”.
A scholarship holder
Bellotti took a break from tennis when her family moved away from Geraldton, but quickly returned to the sport after winning a tennis scholarship through the Evonne Goolagong Foundation in 2018.
She gives back to the community by coaching young people at Tarcoola Park Tennis Club, where she got her start in Geraldton.
Remote Tennis Services Australia head coach Jarron Kretschmann has seen Bellotti’s skills flourish and is proud of his latest achievement.
“For any child it’s a great experience, but for a young Aboriginal girl from regional Western Australia it’s incredible,”
he said.
“She’s a really dedicated and active young lady.”
Bellotti has performed at events across Australia. (Provided: Jarron Kretschmann)
A bright future awaits you
Bellotti’s mother, Serena Martin, says her daughter will pursue more opportunities when she starts school at Edmund College in Bindoon next month.
“Tennis has provided Tia with many opportunities, including trips to Perth, Fremantle, Alice Springs, Darwin and Melbourne,” Ms Martin said.
She said Geraldton had been the perfect training ground for her daughter, who was ready to take her sport to the next level in the city.
“I’m really excited about it.”
» Bellotti said.
“I’m pretty sure there are more opportunities out there…it’s been my dream since I started.”
