MORE: Walton upsets Medvedev in Cincinnati<\/a><\/p>\nWalton also made his Grand Slam main draw debut at the Australian Open, pushing Quentin Halys in a tight first-round battle, and returned to the US Open where he faced Ugo Humbert in another competitive showing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His fearless performances on the big stage have marked him as one of Australia\u2019s most promising rising stars. This is Walton\u2019s first Newcombe Medal nomination.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really honoured to be nominated alongside so many great players \u2013 it’s been an awesome year and I\u2019m so grateful for all the support from my coaches, family and Tennis Australia,\u201d Walton said.<\/p>\n
KIMBERLY BIRRELL<\/p>\n
Kimberly Birrell delivered a career-best season in 2025, reaching her second WTA final in Chennai after a remarkable semifinal comeback where she saved five match points and won seven consecutive games.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Earlier in the year, she made her first WTA 500 quarterfinal in Brisbane, defeating Emma Navarro en route for her first top-10 win in six years, and after debuting in the top 100 in January, peaked at world No.60 in May.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Birrell also competed in the main draws of all four Grand Slams and was celebrated for her sportsmanship with the Margaret Amritraj Fairplay Award. This is her first Newcombe Medal nomination.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel very excited and surprised, but very honoured for the recognition from Tennis Australia. It\u2019s always a special night \u2013 I love coming together with all my friends and celebrating the year of tennis that was. It\u2019s about celebrating everyone\u2019s achievements while also recognising the people involved in tennis everywhere, highlighting the clubs, coaches, everyone,\u201d Birrell said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
TRISTAN SCHOOLKATE\u00a0<\/p>\n
Western Australia\u2019s Tristan Schoolkate enjoyed a breakout season in 2025, reaching the second round of both the Australian Open and US Open, where he pushed top-20 opponents in thrilling contests.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He claimed his maiden top-50 win over Joao Fonseca in Toronto and reached the quarterfinals of the Los Cabos Open.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Schoolkate\u2019s consistent rise through the ATP rankings and his fearless performances against top-tier opponents have earned him his first Newcombe Medal nomination.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a great year in terms of my development and rise in the rankings,\u201d Schoolkate said. \u201cI\u2019m extremely proud to be nominated for the Newcombe Medal for the first time. To be recognised for this award is a great testament to the continual hard work, which I\u2019ve put in every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n
PRISCILLA HON\u00a0<\/p>\n
Queensland\u2019s Priscilla Hon returned to her best form in 2025, reaching the third round of the US Open, her deepest run at a Grand Slam following an upset of 17th seed Liudmila Samsonova. She also saved five match points in a dramatic Wimbledon qualifying win over Victoria Mboko to reach the main draw.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hon later won through to the third round of Beijing\u2019s China Open, a career-best WTA 1000 result that saw her crack the world\u2019s top 100. Hon\u2019s resilience and resurgence on the WTA Tour have earned her a first Newcombe Medal nomination.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s such an honour to be nominated for the Newcombe Medal. Just to be recognised and alongside so many incredible players means a lot to me. It\u2019s a nice reminder of the hard work and progress I\u2019ve made this year,\u201d Hon said.<\/p>\n
World No.1 junior Emerson Jones, rising star Cruz Hewitt and Darren Cahill, coach of Australian Open champion and world No.2 Jannik Sinner, lead the remarkable lineup of rising stars, world-class coaches and grassroots tennis leaders announced as finalists for the 2025 Newcombe Medal Australian Tennis Awards.<\/p>\n
The Australian Tennis Awards highlight the extraordinary efforts in both participation and performance across Australia and the essential role local communities play in making tennis accessible to all.<\/p>\n
The 2025 Newcombe Medal, Australian Tennis Awards finalists are:<\/p>\n
Coaching Excellence – Club\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Sam Clayson (SA)\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Steve Foot (Vic)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Owen Peomeoller (ACT)<\/p>\n
Most Outstanding School\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Forbes Public School (NSW)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Holy Trinity Primary School (ACT)\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Maitland Lutheran School (SA)<\/p>\n
Junior Athlete of the Year \u2013 Male\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Cruz Hewitt (NSW)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Novak Palombo (Vic)\u00a0<\/p>\n
Junior Athlete of the Year \u2013 Female\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Renee Alame (NSW)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Ava Beck (Vic)\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Emerson Jones (QLD)<\/p>\n
Coaching Excellence \u2013 Development\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Michael Logarzo (Vic)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Des Tyson (Vic)<\/p>\n
Excellence in Officiating\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Sam Gleeson (TAS)\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Phillip Goodman (Vic)\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Jennifer Roe (NT)<\/p>\n
Volunteer Achievement Award\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Kirsty Cole (NSW)\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Klinton Devenish (SA)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Michelle (Meg) Gethin (WA)\u00a0<\/p>\n
Most Outstanding Athlete with a Disability, presented by ANZ<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Ross Patterson (Tas)\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Andriana Petrakis (SA)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Hunter Thompson (Qld)\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Jin Woodman (Vic)<\/p>\n
Most Outstanding Tournament\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 2025 Katherine Open (NT)\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 MDTC Open Championships (SA)\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Myrtleford Lawn Tennis Club 35th Easter Tournament (Senior & Junior) (Vic)<\/p>\n
Most Outstanding Club or Venue, presented by Howden\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Collaroy Tennis Club (NSW)\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Oakleigh Tennis Club (Vic)\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Queanbeyan Park Tennis Club (ACT)\u00a0<\/p>\n
Most Outstanding 35+ Tennis Master\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Ros Balodis (ACT)\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Glenn Busby (Vic)\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Stephen Dance (Tas)<\/p>\n
Coaching Excellence \u2013 Performance, presented by Culture Amp<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Darren Cahill (SA)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Mark Draper (Qld)\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Chris Mahony\u00a0(Qld)<\/p>\n
Most Outstanding Inclusion Initiative\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Hobart Out Tennis Club (Tas)\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 PALM Workers, Sale Tennis Club (Vic)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 SA Blind and Low Vision Tennis Program (SA)\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Alex de Minaur (NSW), Maya Joint (Qld), Adam Walton (Qld), Kimberly Birrell (Qld), Tristan Schoolkate (WA), and Priscilla…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":297637,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[565],"tags":[64,63,170447,72820,85,747],"class_list":{"0":"post-297636","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tennis","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-newcombe-medal","11":"tag-news-article","12":"tag-sports","13":"tag-tennis"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=297636"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297636\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/297637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=297636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=297636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=297636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}