Alex schools urged to enter development tennis programme

The BNP Paribas RCS Rising Star Tennis Programme is calling on all schools in Alexandra and the country at large to enter their tennis teams for the forthcoming tournament set to start in April.

Rising Star Tennis project director Anthony Moruthane said entries were now open for the popular tennis series, and interested participants are urged to get their teams in before the deadline of 26 March.

Once registered, the schools will start to play in the tournament from April at the district level, followed by provincial finals in all the nine provinces in May.

The national finals of the competition, scheduled as from 30 July to 1 August, will be played at two venues, at the Arthur Ashe Tennis Centre in Soweto and the Groenkloof Tennis Club in Pretoria.

Moruthane said the national finals will see 56 teams from primary and high schools slugging it out, including eight wild card entries and eight wheelchair tennis teams.

Now in its second year, Moruthane said the competition will welcome new entrants, many of whom have never played tennis before. “They will have the opportunity to play with some of South Africa’s most promising junior players and showcase their skills, in the ultimate tennis talent search,” Moruthane said.

Ahead of the widely anticipated annual series, Moruthane said tennis activations aimed at boosting registrations will be launched in the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, and Limpopo. “These activations will also provide support for disadvantaged schools, coaching schoolchildren who have little or no previous playing experience to prepare them for the for the competition.”

Moruthane said over the next few weeks, development clinics will be held in Polokwane, Port Elizabeth and Atteridgeville, and they will include sessions with Rising Star Tennis ambassadors Kgothatso Montjane and Kholo Montsi, as well as media personality Carol Tshabalala.

Moruthane stressed that the organisers will be required to ensure that stringent Covid-19 safety protocols are implemented at all tournaments from district level right up to the national final. “We understand that there are currently a lot of concerns regarding the spread of Covid-19 as the country battles an intense second wave.

“As a socially distanced sport, tennis has been a silver lining and a point of focus for many of our young competitors, and we are putting every measure into place to ensure hygiene protocols will be rigorously implemented and sustained through the competition.”

Details: www.tennissa.co.za