Sam Groth will make his debut for Liston Tennis Club on Saturday. 67288
BY MICHAEL ESPOSITO
LISTON Tennis Club may have lost marquee player Dayne Kelly to an elbow injury, but his replacement Sam Groth is certainly no slouch.
Groth, Australia’s 14th ranked male tennis player, has joined Liston’s Premier league team as its number one player, as the Williamstown-based club aims to defend its Victorian title.
Liston will begin its campaign against Geelong this Saturday.
Groth has been away from tennis since having shoulder surgery in April, and was keen to get back into competitive tennis.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back on the court in a competitive situation, to see how I feel back out there again,” he said,
He admitted he was still undecided on whether he would get back on the pro tour after his stint with Liston.
“This is the first time I’ve been in Australia for more than two months in an entire year and I’ve enjoyed a bit of a change, but once I get back in that competitive situation, it’s something I’ve been used to for so long, there’s no guarantees I’ll want to stay here,” Groth said.
“I’m still sort of working out what I want to do from here with my tennis. I’ve been out for quite a while now and it’s a tough road to get back.
“Dayne gave me a call, he found out I was back in Melbourne and asked me if I would be interested in playing. I knew they won it last year and I heard they do good things there so I decided to give it a go.”
Groth will be joined by team-mates Rubin Statham, Joel Lindner, Marvin Barker, and local lads James Wong and Efthimios Efthimiadis.
“My shoulder feels good, I have no complaints at all, I’m able to do everything I need to,” Groth said.
Liston’s men’s and women’s teams will take on Geelong at Commonwealth Reserve, Williamstown at 11.30am this Saturday.
