WITH the grand-slam season in the northern hemisphere summer almost here, Kerry Dock is preparing to bolster the sport in St George during the southern hemisphere winter.
Dock, the coaching director at Tennis Blast Academy at Kogarah Bay, encourages boys and girls of any playing ability to come and enjoy the game.
"It's about kids playing sport, being healthier and making exercise a big part of their lifestyles," Dock said.
The French Open will be played on May 24 to June 7 at Roland Garros and the zenith grass-court tournament, Wimbledon, will be June 29 to July 12.
"There are a lot of kids who've been inspired by Australian player Nick Kyrgios's wins over Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the past 10 months," Dock said.
"At the academy, we have two players who've reached No. 2 in Australia this year and more than 20 players have reached the top 20 in NSW in the past four years."
Details: tennisblast.com.au/kogarah