Tennis Australia warns Brisbane could lose 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games matches to Melbourne if facilities not upgraded

Tennis Australia has stated that the 2032 Olympic tennis competition may be moved to Melbourne unless Brisbane's tennis facilities are upgraded. Tennis Queensland has submitted a A$113 million upgrade plan aimed at transforming the Queensland Tennis Centre (QTC) at Tennyson for the Olympics.

The plan proposes a new 3,000-seat arena and eight new courts, with temporary seating to be added during events. A Tennis Australia spokesperson said that the current center does not meet the necessary standards, so Tennis Queensland is seeking additional government funding to upgrade the facility during the Olympic review process. If unsuccessful, they will consider holding the competition in Melbourne. The proposal has been submitted to a 100-day review of infrastructure for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Tennis Queensland CEO Cameron Pearson said that the state currently does not have a "fit for purpose" facility. "We don't have enough courts, we don't have enough seats, and our player facilities aren't big enough," he said. "If we can't get the funding and the number of courts and seats we need at the Queensland Tennis Centre, we'll have to look elsewhere. It would be a tragedy if we couldn't host the Olympics and Paralympics here."

Mr. Pearson stated that he is "very confident" that the state government will help Queensland provide the infrastructure. "You can't play tennis in Melbourne in late July because the maximum temperature is only 12 or 13 degrees," he said. "I don't think the players would be keen to do that, and I suspect some of them wouldn't even come." Queensland Tourism Minister Andrew Powell said the government had made it clear it would announce its infrastructure decision on March 25.

Labor's Shadow Minister for the Olympics and Paralympics, Grace Grace, said Premier David Crisafulli should rule out holding the tennis competition in Melbourne. "This is about generational infrastructure for the people of Queensland, and why shouldn't the next Ash Barty – a Queenslander – have the best facilities?" she said.