Four juniors will make their World Team Cup debut in Antalya on Tuesday as Australia aims to improve on their runners-up finish last year.
Antalya, Turkey, 2 May 2025 | Jackson Mansell
A new crop of junior wheelchair players will represent Australia at the World Team Cup when it commences in Turkey on Tuesday.
Sonny Rennison, Arlo Shawcross, Harrison Dudley, and Gillie Lumby will all don the green and gold for the first time, hoping to improve on Australia’s runners-up finish last year.
Captain Greg Crump believes team members will benefit from the experience, accelerating their transition between junior and senior tennis.
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“It’s great to work with the kids. They’ve developed over five years and started when they were under 10 years old, and now they’re old enough to travel overseas and play and compete. So that’s pretty cool,” Crump said.
“They transition to a senior player very quickly as well, so that’s also good to see them go from a junior to a senior player, and continue to improve their game.
“I think [the team is] pretty bright. The standard we’ve got around here and also the help from private coaches, with the Tennis Australia staff there, we’re creating opportunities in camps for these junior kids, competitive opportunities, and also social activities as well.”
All four juniors are situated inside the ITF boys’ wheelchair top 30, with Rennison ranked the highest at world No.15.
The 12-year-old is delighted with the opportunity to live out his Australian dream.
“When I got the call to ask if I wanted to go [to the World Team Cup], I didn’t really say anything. I was just in shock. I was so happy,” he said.
“I feel so proud to be able to represent my country in my favourite thing, which is wheelchair tennis. I’ve put in so much hard work over seven or eight years. This is my dream to get to the World Team Cup.
“It will just be great fun, and we’re going to go there and win it.”
In his first international trip, Geelong-based Shawcross sees the World Team Cup as a valuable step in his development.
The youngster is currently in raring form, winning the boys’ singles title at the Melbourne Wheelchair Classic last month.
“I feel like I’m pretty lucky to go. I’m only 13 and I’m going overseas to play at the World Team Cup, so I think that’s pretty awesome,” he said. “I’m just going to use it as a learning experience because I’m still young and hopefully there are many of these to come.”
Dudley and Lumby round out the squad as Australia seeks to redeem their 2024 final defeat to the USA.
In the quad tournament, Finn Broadbent and Ben Wenzel will represent Australia, as they aim to claim the international crown for the first time since 2018.
The World Team Cup will be played on 6-11 May in Antalya, Turkey.
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