Collector's cabinet: Australian tennis games on the world stage

Tennis is one of the oldest videogame genres – one of the world’s first games was Tennis for Two (1958). From the earliest days of play, the sport has tested the limits of technology and design, whether through Pong (1972) or Wii Sports (2006).

From the build-it-yourself Selecta-game sports console to homegrown champions starring on international videogame covers, Australian tennis players and developers have left their mark on the genre.

In 2018, Melbourne’s Big Ant Studios released AO International Tennis, the first licensed Australian Open videogame and the first to use real-match statistical data to mirror the play styles of twenty stars, including Rafael Nadal, Angelique Kerber, Naomi Osaka and Ash Barty, who features on the sequel’s cover. Australia’s contribution to the genre reflects the deep cultural significance of tennis national life – it’s no wonder the Australian Open is known as “the happy slam”.