Giaan Rooney is an Australian swimming champion and media persona.

She gained an Olympic gold medal (in addition to two silvers) and three world championship gold medals throughout a stellar swimming profession.

Rooney has gone on to have a profitable tv profession, working as a bunch, reporter and commentator with each the 9 Community and Seven Community. This has included overlaying many Australian Open and summer time of tennis occasions.

She can also be a mom, farmer, creator, inspirational speaker and has her personal athleisure clothes vary.

In our Movie star Match sequence, Rooney shares her favorite tennis reminiscences …

Inform us about your tennis expertise. Have you ever performed earlier than?

For somebody who has been round tennis rather a lot, I haven’t truly performed that a lot. I had classes for a short while as a child, however by no means pursued it additional. Though, we’re presently planning a daily social tennis competitors in our local people.

What’s your finest shot and why?

At this stage, my finest shot is getting it over the web, however each every so often, my lob actually pays off.

What’s your earliest tennis reminiscence?

It will not be my earliest reminiscence, however my mum credit tennis with getting her by means of early motherhood. My mum would play tennis on the native membership while I slept in a bassinet beneath a tree on the sideline as a child and as soon as I used to be sufficiently old, I’d go into the crèche on the membership. Mum says she obtained her train, moms group chats and respiration area all on the identical time.

Do you’ve a favorite tennis reminiscence?

Funnily sufficient, my favorite tennis reminiscence is once I missed watching an epic sport of tennis! One in every of our Highland cows was having bother giving beginning on the night of the Australian Open 2022 girls’s remaining between Ash Barty and Danielle Collins. All my husband, Sam, and I wished to do was watch the ultimate, however we additionally couldn’t go away our cow on her personal. Lastly a wholesome little bull calf got here out. After a bit extra of a battle to feed, ‘Barty Boy’ was left to his personal units, while Sam and I watched the ultimate on replay.

Do you bear in mind the primary skilled match you noticed stay? Who performed?

I can’t bear in mind who was enjoying, however I feel the primary match I noticed stay would have been at Australian Open 2013 once I was working as a reporter.

You may have interviewed many top-ranked tennis gamers. What’s your most memorable interview and why?

There are such a lot of great characters on the earth of tennis, however three interviews stand out.

The primary was interviewing the good Roger Federer. Not solely did Roger bear in mind me from a earlier interview (what number of thousands and thousands of interviews would he have executed!?!) however was so extremely beneficiant along with his time, respectful and pleasant to each single member of the crew I used to be with. He turned emotional when speaking about his household and genuinely appeared to get pleasure from participating with the media. He’s a complete legend.

The second was the primary of many instances I interviewed the game-changing Dylan Alcott. This was on the Brisbane Worldwide and the beginning of his ascension to Grand Slam celebrity. Dylan was forgiving once I pronounced his identify mistaken (I mentioned Al-cott slightly than All-cott), spoke about how he wished to raised the panorama for youths with disabilities, challenged me to return a ball to him while I used to be in a wheelchair (I couldn’t) and jogged my memory as soon as once more of the facility of sport. I used to be a fan from that day on.

The third was interviewing the unbelievable Evonne Goolagong Cawley. I had researched Evonne closely beforehand, as I didn’t know her story that properly, and thought I had some fairly good questions that might be barely totally different to ones she had been requested a thousand instances. Because it seems, I barely needed to ask a query as Evonne expertly led me by means of her historical past, her ‘why’, her ‘how’ and what she wished her legacy to be. I might have listened to her converse all day and was genuinely disillusioned when our time was up.

Who’s your favorite tennis participant to observe and why?

I used to like watching Roger Federer as a result of it was all the time a tennis masterclass. I used to like watching Ash Barty, as you can nearly see her overthrow her humble persona to search out the warrior inside. I additionally used to like watching Martina Hingis, as she didn’t appear to have any excellent bodily capabilities however was nonetheless such a constant power. I stay up for watching the rise of Alex de Minaur, as he by no means provides up and goes after each ball, and I can’t wait to see Daria Saville return to the highest of the Australian rankings as she fights again from her second main knee damage.

Should you might meet any tennis participant, who wouldn’t it be and why?

I’d love to fulfill Billie Jean King, who modified the sport for not solely girls in tennis, however girls in sport. I’m going to power Rennae Stubbs to introduce me sooner or later!

Lastly, are you able to please end these sentences for us …

The most effective a part of the Australian Open is … the sensation of pleasure, anticipation and awe that you’re witnessing the very best tennis gamers on the planet carry out at a tennis match they genuinely love coming to.

Tennis is enjoyable as a result of … you don’t have to be extremely expert or a daily participant to become involved. I stay in a rural neighborhood and a few of our favorite occasions are the social tennis tournaments, the place all of us have a ball! Pun supposed!