The academy

Where you start, and how far it goes

Adelaide Rising Stars is a performance tennis academy at Tea Tree Gully Tennis Club, and everyone is welcome here — whether you are picking up a racket for the first time, coming back to the game after years away, or already competing and looking for the next level.

Squads are grouped by playing standard rather than age and are capped, so every player trains alongside others at or slightly above their own level. A beginner is never lost at the back of an advanced group, and a competing junior is never the only one being stretched.

How we train

Every session covers technical work, physical conditioning and match tactics. The Monday high performance squad includes a strength and conditioning block. Players work toward specific tournaments rather than training in the abstract, and we bring elite mentors and coaches in across the term so juniors train against a level they don't usually see.

Where it can lead

For players who want it, the pathway runs a long way: junior tournaments, state and national competition, US college scholarships, and for a few, the professional tour. Our head coach has been down that road himself and has placed players into American college programs through his own recruitment work.

For everyone else it leads somewhere just as worthwhile — a game you can play well, and keep playing, for the rest of your life. Both are proper outcomes and we coach for both.

The squad seated on court for a briefing at the end of a session

A squad holding a squat position in a line during an indoor fitness session, watched by two coaches

Players working through a racquet and movement drill on an indoor floor marked out with lines and cones

Who runs it

Meet the team

Ashwin standing outside Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park, the arena's name on the roofline behind him

Ashwin Vijayaragavan

Founder & Head Coach

Ashwin came up through the Indian junior system to the ITF circuit, US college tennis and the 2013 Indian Davis Cup squad, and was coaching here long before the academy had a name.

He runs the program and the squads, and still takes sessions himself most weeks.

Read the full profile

“Tennis is a monumental journey, and only a fraction of players reach the top. If you play only to become a champion, you risk losing your way. At ARS, we teach players to love the grind, respect the process, and have fun. When you combine genuine passion with elite, structured training, you create an environment where truly remarkable things happen.”
Ashwin Vijayaragavan

Tania Vijayaragavan

Co-Founder & Director of Marketing

Tania Vijayaragavan is the Co-Founder and Director of Marketing at Adelaide Rising Stars (ARS), bringing over 15 years of world-class corporate marketing and brand strategy experience to the academy. Alongside her husband Ashwin, she has developed ARS into a premier tennis academy focused on blending on-court hard work with strategic off-court support to build confident, resilient leaders.

Professional Background Adelaide Rising Stars (ARS): Serves as the operational engine and creative force, driving brand strategy, community building, and athlete visibility.

Dilmah Tea: Worked as Marketing Communications Manager, part of the team that executed the brand's first Global Regional Conference and part of the events team that launched the luxury Dilmah t-Series.

Bate’s Strategic Alliance: Managed multi-million-dollar portfolios in Sri Lanka for major financial, state, and consumer entities (including People’s Bank, Lanka Milk Foods, the Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka, and the Development Lotteries Board).

Political Communications: Served on the account team for the successful national election campaign of former Sri Lankan President, Hon. Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga.

“At ARS, we believe that talent is only the beginning. True success comes when a player's hard work on the court is backed by the right strategy, structure, and community support off the court. We aren't just training great players; we are building the next generation of confident, resilient leaders.”
Tania Vijayaragavan

On court

A term in the squads

Starting a session

Coaches bringing the squad together at the start of a session to explain the drills

Fitness block

Players working through a fitness set on court

A mentor on court

A visiting mentor working with the squad on court

The court complex at Tea Tree Gully Tennis Club, seen from the clubhouse side

The clubhouse cafe, with tables set beside a window looking out over the courts

The venue

Where we train

Adelaide Rising Stars trains at Tea Tree Gully Tennis Club in Adelaide's north-east, named Most Outstanding Tennis Club (City/Hills) by Tennis SA in 2026. The club has 18 courts under lights, so squads run into the evening through winter.

Ashwin is the club's Performance Coach, and the academy holds exclusive rights to performance squad training at the venue.

Our partners

Courts: Floodlit hard courts
Facilities: $5.5m upgrade
Pro shop: Just 4 Tennis on site

Ready to join an Adelaide Rising Stars squad?

Enquire about a squad