Before I began playing tennis at the age of 10, my dad would drag my brother and I to his weekend tournaments. On our first trip to the Cobram Labour Day Tennis Tournament in 2010, we watched him win the A Grade Men’s Singles against a man named Hot Dog! After attempting to find my passion through other sports, I eventually came around to the community I had been brought up with. I started to enter the Cobram tournament and now, after 16 years, more than 70 members from our tennis club make the road trip from Melbourne every year.

As I got older, the main focus of the weekend was not on winning matches but trying to connect with other young people from my club. In making this film, I wanted to explore the unexplainable yearn for non-romantic male validation that I, and other young women, have experienced but never properly acknowledged before.

Tennis is a sport that spans generations: from life-long club members in their 70s and 80s, to families with teens and children. Despite being amongst the top five most-played sports in Australia, stories from this corner miss the limelight. The short film Whose Serve? showcases the local Victorian tennis scene, a world where everyone is meshed together for one long weekend, and contrasting ideologies about male and female relationships emerge. This coming-of-age comedy reflects the pressure for romantic connection and explores the myth that “guys and girls can’t just be friends”.