POLOKWANE – The 17-year-old Takalani has several awards and titles to her name, titles for both national and international tennis accomplishments she achieved over the years.
“I fell in love with the game at a young age – a love which has never stopped growing. Tennis is a sport I not only love playing but enjoy watching as well. Watching tennis greats in action allows me to learn new techniques and grow in the sport,” she explained.
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She started playing when she was seven years old, joining her mother and brother on the court to learn about the game.
“The more I play, the more it becomes a mental game. I learn to be super focused and this helps in other aspects of my life as well. It is a game that keeps me fit.”
When she is not on the court she loves going to the gym to work on the muscles needed for those power shots that she loves. Her role model is Serena Williams. Serena is also the one person Takalani singles out as being the person she would like to play against.
On her list of games and places she would like to play, she includes Wimbledon and the US Open which she had missed up to now. Takalani is someone who loves listening to music and she plays the piano.
She does not, however, find much time for friends or boyfriends as tennis takes up the majority of her time. She described herself as someone who is positive and makes use of a fitness trainer who helps her stay positive and strengthens her mentally for every game.
Her current ranking in South Africa is number 66 and she lies in just over 1 720 in the world.
Her plans for the future is to study in the United States where she plans to get her law degree and keep on playing tennis.
“I believe every person has something to look forward to in their lives and some people will be good at sport and some will be good at something else. The secret is living life to the full every day and finding your place and filling up that place with the best of you,” she added.
