Jonny O’Mara Partners With Tennis Scotland To Create Exciting New Next Gen Tournament

In his role as Tennis Scotland’s Official Ambassador, Jonny has led on the design of an invitational team tournament which will run in place of regular end of season training to enhance the nation’s evolving competition calendar.

Aimed at nurturing up and coming players from Tennis Scotland’s National Player Programme and GB National Tennis Academy at the University of Stirling, the event will enable the nation’s most talented youngsters to rub shoulders with some of Scotland’s most accomplished tennis stars, aiding their development as they strive to follow Jonny’s footsteps onto the professional tour.

Taking place at Craiglockhart Tennis Centre on Friday 17 December, the Tennis Scotland Team Tennis event will be headed by four of the most recognisable names within the Scottish tennis community, as Gordon Reid, Colin Fleming, Karen Lamb and Alan MacDonald assume the all-important roles of team captains.

Details of the players participating will be announced across the Tennis Scotland social media channels on Thursday 16 December.

Squad selection

Handed the task of selecting a winning formula, each of the captains will draft their own team of four; formed of one adult male, adult female, junior male and junior female player.

On the day, fixtures will be played across one court to allow the squads to support their fellow teammates and enable substitutes to remain poised for action should they receive the call from their team captain.

Competition format

The much-anticipated team event will provide the platform for competitors to challenge across a series of short and sharp matches which will follow World Team Tennis (WTT) scoring regulations. Each game will count towards an overall score in the tie, with losing semi-finalists moving to the 3rd/4th play-off, whilst the winners progress to the final which will determine the overall team champion.

Ties will be formed from the following match options, with the format of each tie decided by the captain that wins the toss:

• Men’s singles
• Women’s singles
• Men’s Doubles
• Women’s Doubles
• Mixed Doubles

Thoughts of the founder

Discussing the introduction of the tournament, Jonny O’Mara said: "Speaking from my own personal experience, and having worked closely with the National Player Programme this year, the Tennis Scotland Team Tennis event will definitely fill an opportune spot in the performance calendar. At a time when we would normally be keeping occupied through regular training, the lively format will keep players on their toes as we approach the end of the playing season and I’m sure the competition will be fiercely competed on the day.

"The tournament will also provide an invaluable lesson for some of the youngsters as they’re supported by more experienced players, in addition to having the chance to challenge themselves against the best of Scottish tennis. We hope that this will continue to grow the appetite of hosting more team tennis events here in Scotland."

Support from Tennis Scotland

Blane Dodds, Chief Executive of Tennis Scotland, commented: "The tournament will be an exciting addition to our expanding competition scene in Scotland, with the format providing a great opportunity for our young prospects to learn from more experienced players. Bringing our players together across different ages and stages competing in a lively competitive environment has so many positive benefits for their development and should also make the Tennis Scotland Team Tennis event an entertaining spectacle, which we hope tennis fans can experience first-hand in the future."

Follow the event

Scottish tennis fans can follow the action through updates on Tennis Scotland’s social media channels this week, commencing with the team line-up announcements on Thursday. Due to restrictions on attendee numbers, only a select number of individuals will be able to attend the event in-person on an invitational basis.