The event was on over the October long weekend in Sydney and the tournament was a knockout format.

A spokesperson from Laurieton Tennis Club said Goodwin's first opponent was a Spanish player who put him through his paces. Matt won 6-1, 6-4 and went through to the semi-finals.

The next day he took on the number 1 seed and defeated him 6-1, 6-2. The final followed and Goodwin defeated his opponent 6-1, 3-1 after the man retired due to an injury.

Goodwin said he was stoked to be named as the 2019 40-45 Men's Singles NSW State Champion.

"I decided to take a break from football with the Saints this year, due to my son being born and family commitments taking over," he said.

"So I made the decision to take part in some tennis tournaments, just for fun."

Goodwin said he hadn't played tournaments for many years, so he wasn't really sure what to expect.

"The experience has been awesome and I've met a lot of really lovely people," he said.

"The wins are amazing - they're the cream on top."

Goodwin noticed there is is often a low number of entrants for his age group.

"If you're thinking about trying it, just give it a go," he said.

Goodwin once played alongside one of Australia's top tennis legends Lleyton Hewitt in the Under 18s Australian Championships.

Over the past 10 years Goodwin has been a coach and teaches at Laurieton, Lake Cathie and Bonny Hills.

Earlier this year Goodwin won three NSW Seniors tennis tournaments in Gloucester, Forster and Lake Macquarie.

Matt and his team of tennis coaches are based at Laurieton, Bonny Hills and Lake Cathie tennis clubs

For more information about tennis please contact Laura Marsh at laura@goodwintennis.com.au or 0458 480 331.