Josh Frydenberg heads to hospital after tennis court tendon snap

3 months ago 4

Rumours that former Liberal treasurer turned Goldman Sachs Australia chair Josh Frydenberg is plotting a return to politics are never cold, no matter the stage of the electoral cycle we’re in.

But that return to the Canberra bubble is the least of the big guy’s concerns.

Frydenberg, 54, is about to be whisked into surgery to reattach his torn hamstring tendon after coming a cropper in a men’s singles grand final during the family and friends tournament at South Hawthorn Tennis Club a few weeks ago.

Winner George Batziakas and ex-treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who retired hurt from the Family and Social grand final at South Hawthorn Tennis Club.

Over to the club bulletin match report: “The first set was a tight tussle before Josh Frydenberg claimed the first set 7-5,” the report read.

“The second set promised to be an even closer encounter, before disaster struck and Josh went down with a serious injury before he retired hurt.”

Frydenberg’s father, Harry, a surgeon, raced out of the clubhouse onto the court with a bag of frozen peas.

His opponent, George Batziakas, 22, claimed the title.

“George and the crowd were very gracious in applauding Josh when he finally got up to leave the court,” the report continued, sparing Frydenberg nothing: “we all wish Josh a speedy recovery”.

The recovery period means the hamstrung Frydenberg will be unable to defend his Lorne Country Club summer tennis classic championship title in January.

We are sure the Liberal moderate will be fighting fit come the second half of 2026, when HarperCollins is due to publish his autobiography. It’s being written with the help of cricket-obsessed scribe Gideon Haigh, who is now on the Substack train, two years after an ill-tempered break-up with his old employer, The Australian.

Some political watchers insist the forthcoming book makes it all but certain Frydenberg will stand in Kooyong against teal independent Monique Ryan, who narrowly saw off Liberal challenger Amelia Hamer at the federal election in May.

Others say it is too early for all that – but the book is a canny sign that The Fry is keeping options open.

Ever eager to help, CBD has come up with a list of potential titles for the tome: Game, Set and (Political Re)Match; The Colt from Kooyong 2.0; Lazarus with a Triple Hamstring Bypass, and our personal favourite – The (Not Decided But Keeping Options Open) Kooyong Comeback Kid.

Victory lap

Did any readers attend the Rufus du Sol gig on the weekend? We didn’t either.

Barrister Sue Chrysanthou, SC (centre), with solicitor Rebekah Giles (left) and Brittany Groth at a Rufus du Sol concert in Sydney.

Let us explain, before either of our mothers get on the phone to critique our journalism, that Rufus is an alternative dance pop band consisting of Tyrone Lindqvist, Jon George and James Hunt, best known for their post-sesh kick-on anthem Innerbloom.

One couple that did attend the gig at the Qudos Bank Arena was Victorian Liberal deputy leader Sam Groth and his wife, Brittany, heading away from Melbourne fresh from their very lucrative defamation settlement (after one court hearing) against our dear friends at the Herald-Sun.

The Groths were seen hanging out with defamation silk Sue Chrysanthou, SC, who represented them during the Hun business. She was letting her hair down after acting for Pauline Hanson in her racial discrimination appeal. One of this column’s more unexpected sentences, but there you go.

It looked like a random victory lap, but that was before we were reminded that band member Jon is the son of Patrick George, who alongside Rebekah Giles makes up Chrysanthou-adjacent defo specialist legal firm Giles George, who represented the Groths in their dispute with the Hun. In fact, Giles and George were also seen boogying out at the gig on the weekend. Everything is connected, folks.

Chrysanthou is not on social media but managed to pop up in a bizarre clip outside court defending a giant fox. It turned out to be a plug for children’s book author Lisa Nicol and her book The Adventures of Pongo and Stink, which clearly gained the seal of approval of the defamation barrister, or presumably more pertinently, her four children.

CBD hears the quartet were less than impressed with the barrister hamming it up on Instagram and, in the vernacular, laughed their arses off.

Light’s out

Six months on from Anthony Albanese’s crushing election victory and the revolving door is still spinning, with Labor figures leaving politics behind – and announcing it on LinkedIn.

The latest departure is ALP assistant national secretary Jen Light, who announced her departure on (where else) LinkedIn this month and held her farewell party at (where else) the Kingston Hotel at the weekend. The venue is affectionately known as “the Kingo” and is now firmly established as the bipartisan watering hole of choice for the Canberra Bubble.

A career Labor apparatchik, Light was heavily involved in the party’s immensely successful election campaign, running its target seat strategy, which ended up delivering far more than even some party insiders dreamed of.

Where to next for Light? We hear her post-political career is taking her to a job at Australia Post.