For more than a decade, Todd Woodbridge was one half of a winning tennis duo, securing more doubles titles than any tennis player in Open Era. Now that he has retired from the sport, he continues to be active as a television analyst and until September of last year, the Australian Davis Cup Captain.
But it appears the 34-year-old Sydney native is planning to use the same fancy footwork that gave him 16 Grand Slam titles to win yet another pairs title—not on court but on the dancefloor. The Aussie has signed onto the appear on the sixth edition of Australia’s Dancing With the Stars, trying his hands – or rather, feet – a at new game of doubles.
Partnering with professional dancer Emily Reilly, the former “Woodie” will compete in the televised weekly dance competition against other celebrities, namely actors and in the case of the Oz version, politicians.
Woodbridge has already begun training for the event, in which the dancers’ performances are first marked by a panel of judges and then voted upon by television viewers at home. The show will air on Channel 7, where Woodbridge is moonlighting as a tennis commentator during the Australian Open in between his rehearsal sessions.
For now it doesn’t appear that the father of two is having any trouble juggling his various duties "I'm absolutely loving it," he told The Eye radio station. "It's great to master a new discipline – that's something I could never do when I was playing tennis."
Woodbridge is not the first tennis player to appear on the program. He joins fellow Aussie Alicia Molik, who competed in the dancing duel’s fourth season when she was out with a chronic ear infection. Perhaps he can fare better than his female counterpart, who didn’t make it deep into the event.
The newest season of Dancing With the Stars is set to hit airwaves in late February.