Returning men’s champ looks to go back-to-back

Ferretti, who took home last year’s men’s singles title with a close 6-4, 7-6 win over 2019 champion Joshua Tran, said he was really excited for the tournament.

“I don’t play many matches any more these days and last year was a really amazing experience,” Ferretti said.

“The courts were fantastic. The club, the way it was run was really great, the people that came to support, it was a lot of fun, so I’ve been looking forward to coming back for a little while now.

“Worst case, if we don’t do well with the tennis, there is so many other things to do around there that I’m sure we’ll have a good trip again.”

Ferretti, who has a career-high ATP Tour singles ranking of 1435 and a doubles ranking of 911, has not only travelled around Australia playing tennis but has played overseas in Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan and England.

He said the Shepparton tournament probably had a better vibe than the smaller international tournaments he had played in, with atmosphere a clear difference.

“I was lucky enough to travel a little bit, which was fun,” he said.

“It’s a bigger atmosphere in some of these tournaments than you would find in some of the smaller professional tournaments. It’s quite fun. You feel like, well, not quite Wimbledon, but you feel like you’re playing in a big event when you come up to Shepparton with not a lot of travelling.”

Ferretti will be travelling up from Melbourne with friend Aymeric Mara of Vanuatu, who will also enter the singles competition, while the duo will join forces in the doubles.

Currently battling an elbow issue, Ferretti was confident he could still play strong tennis.

“It’s only three days. Even if at the end of it I can’t hit another ball for a couple of months it doesn’t matter, I’ve got nothing else coming up, so I’ll push myself when I get out there anyway,” he said.

“We’re looking forward to coming back again. It was a great trip last year, the weather looks good and I’m looking forward to giving it another crack this year.”