Andy Brothers: The Quiet Architect of Hong Kong Tennis

One man. One city. One sport. Forty-two years.

When Andy Brothers stands at the edge of a tennis court in Kowloon, watching a group of seven-year-olds pick up a racket for the very first time, he can probably trace the line back to Brisbane in the 1970s. He was eight years old then, and a local coach named Geoff Olsen put a racket in his hand. That moment set in motion a journey far longer than anyone could have predicted.

Four decades later, Brothers remains one of the most quietly influential figures in Hong Kong tennis. From Davis Cup courts to a world No. 1 senior ranking, from the battles of the SCAA Open to the founding of TennisAsia, his story maps almost perfectly onto the modernisation of the game in this city.

From Brisbane to Hong Kong: A "Few Years" That Never Ended

Brothers' introduction to tennis was hardly dramatic. "I started playing when I was about eight years old, with a coach called Geoff Olsen, who was a very well-known local player and coach in Brisbane," he recalls. The real turning point came at seventeen, when he began coaching under Australian legend Ashley Cooper. "I enjoyed the work and decided to give it a few years and see where it took me. As it turned out, those few years became rather longer than planned."

In the 1980s, a job offer came through Cooper's younger brother, John Cooper—Hong Kong's national coach in the 1970s—and Brothers found himself at the AMC in Hong Kong. "It was a big move from Brisbane, but obviously one that worked out pretty well."

He intended to stay a few years.

Forty-two years later, he is still here. "Hong Kong just grows on you," he says. "The tennis was great, I met a lot of good friends, and eventually started my own family here. At some point I stopped calling it a few-year assignment and realised I probably wasn't leaving."

Wearing the Hong Kong Jersey: Davis Cup Glory

For many players, the Davis Cup is the highest honour in the sport. Brothers represented Hong Kong during a golden period for the team in the Asia/Oceania Zone. In 1988, he played in the 5-0 semi-final win over Singapore and the 5-0 final victory over Pakistan, where he won a singles match and partnered with Mark Bailey in doubles.

"Of course, it felt great to play for Hong Kong," he says, without embellishment. "My parents came over for one of my first ties, against Singapore, when we played indoors at the old Jubilee Sports Centre, which is now HKSI."

Asked about tense locker-room moments or unforgettable matches, he gives a typically understated answer: "There weren't really any tense moments. We had a lot of fun training and playing together back then. Looking back, that was probably one of the best parts of it." He pauses. "Of course, I'd love to go back and do it all over again. Although I'm not sure my body would agree."

His most vivid memories are of Pakistan. "I particularly enjoyed playing against Pakistan, and I actually still keep in touch with some of the same guys on the Masters Circuit today. That's one of the great things about tennis—you can play someone 40 years ago and still end up seeing them on court today."

The bond of that squad remains unbroken. Mark Bailey, Colin Grant, Pang Lui—the names form the outline of Hong Kong's Davis Cup era in the 1980s. "We all got on very well. There was plenty of tennis, plenty of travelling and, I'm sure, a fair amount of nonsense as well."

The SCAA Open: Memories of a Local Battleground

On the map of Hong Kong's domestic tennis, the SCAA Open has been one of the three major ranking tournaments since its founding in 1970. For Brothers, it carries a complicated mix of emotions.

"SCAA was always a very memorable event," he says. "Hong Kong didn't have a lot of Open events for local players, so the SCAA Open was always an important tournament to play." He singles out the atmosphere of the lower courts: "Back then, it was particularly exciting playing on the lower courts because there were always plenty of spectators cheering us on from the back stands. It gave the event a great atmosphere—and also meant you knew very quickly if you were playing badly!"

His SCAA memories include both heartbreak and silverware. "I lost a few SCAA singles finals there after having leads in the matches, which is never particularly enjoyable. On the other hand, I was fortunate enough to win a few doubles and mixed doubles titles, so I managed to leave with some good memories as well."

In the early 1980s, Colin and Mark were "the ones to beat"; later, players like Mike Walker, Melvin Tong, Andrew Town, Shane Barr and Michael Brown moved in and out of the scene. "It was a small tennis community, so you knew pretty much everyone—and you also knew exactly who you didn't want to draw in the first few rounds!"

A Second Peak: World No. 1 at Sixty

If the Davis Cup was the first act of Brothers' playing career, the ITF Seniors circuit provided a remarkable second. In May 2025, he reached World No. 1 in the Men's 60+ singles rankings.

"I love competing, and I don't think that will ever change," he says. "Of course, it's a great feeling to get to World No. 1 in anything, especially in the sport you love. And if you have to wait until you're 60 to do it, so be it."

His secret? "At this age, it's mainly about staying fit and managing the little injuries that inevitably appear. I also play a game that doesn't require me to expend too much energy, so I guess that helps keep me out there a little longer. The secret is probably less about getting better and more about slowing down the decline!"

The ranking has since slipped to around No. 6-8 after work commitments kept him from defending some titles. "Hopefully I can play those bigger events again next year and get back to #1. At the end of the day, though, I'm just happy that I can still compete at this level."

From Court to Corner: The TennisAsia Story

In 1987, Brothers founded TennisAsia. Nearly four decades later, it has become one of Hong Kong's leading tennis coaching and club management companies, recently appointed as the coaching partner for the SCAA Kowloon Tennis Centre under the banner "More Than a Game."

"I started TennisAsia originally as just a couple of guys working together and doing their own thing," he recalls. "One thing led to another, and we expanded into a couple of local clubs. We realised that we could really build something special—something that could reach many more people than we had originally imagined."

Asked to define the TennisAsia coaching philosophy, he first notes a fact: "I haven't personally been coaching on court for more than 20 years now." Then he considers. "Back in the day, I think my students would probably say I was very good at keeping things simple to understand while making sure their technique was good. For me, tennis doesn't need to be made more complicated than it already is. If you can make the fundamentals clear and give players confidence in what they're doing, you can help them get to wherever they want to go with their tennis."

The fundamentals endure, but their application has changed. "There are obviously far more ways to hit a tennis ball than there were when I started. Fitness, speed and raw power are now such a huge part of elite tennis. Our coaching team is constantly learning and looking at new methods to keep up with the modern game. The fundamentals don't really change—but how you apply them certainly does."

His proudest "student achievement" isn't a trophy. "What has been most rewarding for me is seeing so many of my former students now married with their own kids, and then seeing those kids training with TennisAsia coaches. In some cases, even the kids of those kids are now playing with our team. That's when you realise you've been around for a while."

Forty-Two Years of Hong Kong Tennis: From Niche to Stage

When Brothers arrived, tennis in Hong Kong was still a relatively niche pursuit. Four decades on, he sees a city with local leagues, junior events, ITF tournaments, Masters tournaments and, once again, WTA and ATP events.

"Forty-two years is a long time, and I think tennis in Hong Kong is now in its strongest position," he says. "So I think it's most important to maintain that growth and keep giving people opportunities to play, compete and improve."

The return of ATP and WTA events to Hong Kong is, for Brothers, "the icing on the cake." "It's fantastic to see the world's best players coming to the city, especially after watching the local tennis scene develop over so many decades."

If he could wave a magic wand? "Very simple—a 30-court academy in a reasonably accessible location, with indoor and outdoor courts, hard courts and clay courts, plus all the necessary fitness and accommodation facilities. Somewhere we could bring a new generation of juniors into the game, give them the right environment and help them really excel. It's a shame that with such a mature tennis environment now, we still don't have such a facility, which is so common in many other countries." He smiles. "Of course, that really is a dream in Hong Kong. But if anyone has spare land for such a facility lying around, I'm happy to have a conversation!"

The Man Who Still Picks Up a Racket

Looking back across all the chapters—Davis Cup player and captain, World No. 1 senior, coach, director, founder—which version of Andy Brothers feels most authentically him?

"For me, I just love playing the game," he says without hesitation. "I will always love getting on court, hitting balls and competing. All the other chapters have been incredibly rewarding, but ultimately I'm still the same guy who just enjoys picking up a racket and playing tennis. Hopefully I can keep doing that for many more years."

His legacy? He thinks not of trophies. "I'd like to think that TennisAsia has brought a new level of professionalism to tennis coaching and management in Hong Kong. We've created job opportunities for hundreds of coaches, and tennis memories for many thousands of players. It's a very satisfying feeling to look back and realise just how many people we've been able to touch through tennis over the past 42 years."

To a young Hong Kong kid picking up a racket today, his message is simple and sincere: "Tennis can bring you so many opportunities—not just sporting opportunities, but academic, professional and social ones as well. But you need to have a genuine passion for the game. If you have that, then you've got something very special: a sport you can enjoy for life."

And finally, after all these years, what does the simple act of hitting a tennis ball still mean to him? "It's always been my first love. And after all these years, I still get a buzz from hitting a tennis ball and competing. I think that probably says everything."

He arrived in Hong Kong for a few years. Four decades later, he is still here—still playing, still competing, still getting a buzz from the simple act of hitting a tennis ball. Some love stories don't need an ending.

This SCAA Opens Hong Kong Legend series is brought to you by 御藥堂, Shun Hing Group, HEAD, Set Win Group, Linkers CPA Limited, POI Corporation Limited, Titoni, SmartShots, Watson's, Gym Aesthetics GA, 奇華餅家, 甘棠燒鹅,儲存易迷你倉, Next Gen, TennisAsia, TNCL Total Nutrition Center Ltd, Little Apple Education Group Limited, Check Check Sin, ESG School HK, Wonder Mami, Eventist, Pones, 蒲昌酒庄. Wondermami.