Tully McCarthy is ready to take his game to the next level, with the Fairy Meadow rising tennis star gaining a fresh scholarship with the Illawarra Academy of Sport.
The IAS recently announced their scholarship holders for 2023/24, which included McCarthy being accepted into the BlueScopeWIN Future Stars program. The Future Stars initiative showcases extraordinary talent across a broad spectrum of sports.
The teenager is among the 134 new athletes accepted into the Academy, who also have more than 130 returning scholarship holders for the next 12 months.
McCarthy - whose idols include international tennis stars Carlos Alcarez and Alex de Minaur - said he was "pretty excited to get this opportunity".
"As its pathway development, it will enhance my capabilities to play tennis at any level that I want," the 15-year-old told the Mercury.
"It's been two years since I fully stopped every other sport to focus on tennis, but I think I've been playing now for about five years. The sport has always drawn me in, my parents said that I've always asked them if I could play from a young age, and I just love it.
"My dream is to be the best professional tennis player that I can."
Reading this on mobile web? Download our news app. It's faster, easier to read and we'll send you alerts for breaking news as it happens. Download in the Apple Store or Google Play.
Joshua Bartlett
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
