Sunrise Tennis Academy (STA) is pulling out all the stops to make sure its players dream in colour when it comes to the sport.
During the recent school holidays, STA took its players on a tennis tour to Gauteng to inspire them to dream big by playing against some of the talented youngsters in some of the biggest tournaments in the country.
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“We, accompanied by Thabo Mongwe from KaMhlushwa, spent the June school holidays in Gauteng, and the players participated in the Gauteng East Growthpoint Super 8 Tournament and Gauteng Central Growthpoint Super 8,” Emily Kutumela, an STA coach, said.
They took 13 players to the Gauteng Central Tournament in Benoni and 14 to Gauteng East in Ellis Park, and gave a good account of themselves despite some of them playing in their first tournaments. “Our U10 girls’ player, Nobayeni Kutumela, flew the STA flag high by winning all her matches in both tournaments.
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Siyanda Mongwe (U12 boys) was a doubles runner-up and brought home a silver medal.
In girls U12, Thubelihle Shongwe was a stand-out player as she played all her matches with confidence and beat some of the experienced players in the process,” recounted Kutumela.
According to the coach, the aim of the tour was to plant a seed of belief in the minds of the players that they too, can achieve success despite coming from previously disadvantaged communities. Since getting her coach badge in Play and Stay Tennis, she has been on a drive to develop the sport in the rural communities of Ehlanzeni, collaborating with Nissi Development based in KaMhlushwa.
She explained her vision behind the tour. “The most important part regarding the tour was for the players, their families and the community to realise there is nothing impossible if we come together and work towards a common goal, which in this case is to expose the players to another world of this beautiful sport and to opportunities that were not available in the past.”
Kutumela continued, “For most of the players, it was their first time participating in a tennis tournament that attracts top players from all over the country. They have so far played one local tournament and one provincial one. It was important to expose them to these big tournaments. The purpose was for players to build their confidence and develop their games. It was important for them to learn how to handle pressure and build their mental games. We are now focusing on choosing an elite squad, helping the players to get funding to attend more of these big tournaments.”
