"I got a call from Tennis Australia about Bendigo hosting the Canberra International and if we could help out and it all started from there," Mr Rouel said.

The Canberra International was relocated to Bendigo due to ongoing bushfire activity in the region.

Mr Rouel and his team were about to put the finishing touches on their preparations for the inaugural ATP Challenger Bendigo event and were more than happy to help out.

"We had two days until players started arriving from when I got the call and in that time, we had a huge dust storm.

"I called on all of our volunteers and members to help out and we had 20 people there the next morning," Mr Rouel said.

The volunteer team helped pressure wash the entire facility and prepare it for the Canberra International.

The Bendigo and Canberra events joined the Australian Red Cross' bushfire disaster relief and recovery efforts, with the two events combining to raise more than $100,000.

Mr Rouel said hosting the Bendigo event was "a breeze", with the preceding week a great practice run.

"The Bendigo event blew our mind in terms of interest in the community.

"Bendigo people came out in huge numbers to both tournaments, which was amazing," Mr Rouel said.

More than 7500 people attended the centre's two tournaments.

Tennis Australia's pro tour manager Fiona Luscombe expressed her appreciation for the efforts of the tennis centre and the Bendigo community.

"We could not be prouder of the way this was handled by the team at the Fosterville Gold Tennis Centre and Bendigo, as a region.

"Tireless hours from dedicated, passionate people with a positive and committed attitude to pull this event off is what was required and this is what we experienced for the two weeks," Ms Luscombe said.

Ms Luscombe said the event's success was a team effort.

"The willingness from all involved to make this happen was truly inspiring.

"These events will no doubt be talked about and applauded for many years, with such positivity.

"Thank you Bendigo," Ms Luscombe said.

Mr Rouel said the ATP Bendigo Challenger is "ours to lose", with the tour schedule not confirmed for 2021.

Come and try days, coaching opportunities and activities around the precinct will be a focus of the 2021 event.

"Offering an experience that is more than just tennis is what the Australian Open does really well.

"That is how we look at growing," Mr Rouel said.

The Canberra International was won by Germany's Philipp Kohlscreiber and Poland's Magdalena Frech, with American Steve Johnson claiming the Bendigo title.