The founder and organiser of the Daveyton Junior Tennis tournament, Dundee Radebe, again pleaded for sponsorship for this Tennis South Africa (TSA)-sanctioned three-day development tournament.
It is one of SA’s largest juniors’ tournaments hosted at the Gauteng East Tennis Association (GETA) complex.
The competition attracts players countrywide and from the SADC region, looking to boost their national and continental rankings.
In eight years since its first serve in 2016, the tournament had no name or sponsors of the prizes. Radebe said sponsorship of any kind would boost the competition.
“The tournament has to grow. A sponsorship of any kind would be a big boost. I plead with anyone to help us. I only need things like trophies, medals and certificates. I do not want money,” he said.
“If a company wants to sponsor us, we will name the competition after it. This is a tournament recognised by TSA. It attracts players from Botswana, Mozambique and Mauritius,” Radebe said.
Radebe cut a smart figure on day two of this year’s edition on August 12.
Dressed in his signature tracksuits and white bucket hat, Radebe moved from court to court, ensuring everything was in order as the district’s best players, including those from other provinces and visitors from neighbouring countries, exchanged serves on all GETA’s 16 courts.
“We have top-ranked players in our district in all divisions who all want to earn ranking points. This will enable them to receive invitations to various tournaments around the country.
“The foreign players are also here for points because when you play a tournament outside of your country, you earn more points,” he said.
When Radebe started this tournament, he wanted to use his experience in tennis to increase the number of township players in what he called a ‘royal sport’.
But his main aim was to put Daveyton, a township known for producing gems of soccer players but whose drinking sprees dented its image, on the map.
“I brought children from Daveyton so they could be inspired. I want them to aspire to play on the grass, clay and hard courts.
“The aim is to host a tournament in Daveyton where we invite top players. We also want to host an exhibition match featuring our Davis Cup players to inspire the young.”
Despite the success of this competition, mostly due to the support from TSA and GETA, Radebe said it pained him that he was unable to host the tournament at home.
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The only facility big enough is in front of the Sinaba Stadium. It’s a battered and fenceless court, surrounded by garbage and allegedly damaged by the community’s youth who used it to play soccer.
“The facility in Daveyton is not fit for this tournament. It’s a white elephant,” he said.
“Tennis is a royal sport. People in affluent areas have invested in the sport. I want to host this tournament in Daveyton. But this can only happen if the courts are fixed, and the community respects them.”
