TENNIS Zimbabwe (TZ) president Walter Jera believes the national team junior tennis players have what it takes to take the sport to another level if they continue to be exposed to international competitions.
This comes as the under-14 national teams (both boys and girls teams) are set to participate in the ITF/CAT Africa Junior Championships in Lomè, Togo, from February 27 to March 10.
The tournament comes on the back of the Southern African Junior Individual and Teams Championships which the team also participated in January this year in Namibia.
Zimbabwe is represented by eight players, four girls and four boys.
The girls’ team consists of Africa’s U14 number one ranked Kuzivakwashe Chapepa, Akeelah Khanye, Rutendo Tom and Mufaro Ruwanza, who scooped the gold medal in the January event.
Courage Ndlovu, Muchengeti Manzungu, Noah Samushonga and Anotipa Chigudu make the boys team.
Jera expressed delight over the help extended by the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee (ZOC) to make the trip to Togo successful.
ZOC availed air tickets for the junior tennis players.
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“The Africa Junior Championship is the pinnacle of under 14 junior tennis in the continent and provides an important platform for our players to test themselves against the best in the continent,” Jera said.
“This competition is an important part for the development pathway of the junior tennis players with potential to become the next generation of tennis professionals for our country. We remain committed to our strategic vision to make Zimbabwe a world class tennis nation.
“We believe by investing in junior tennis, we are building a solid foundation for future success. Our drive to identify, nurture and develop tennis talent has seen Tennis Zimbabwe partnering the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee who have come in with a milestone sponsorship by providing airfares for the team.
“ZOC, we thank you for believing in the future we are creating. Further, TZ has partnered the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education in implementation of the Junior Tennis Initiative in all the Tennis Provinces in a bid to broaden the sport. As Tennis Zimbabwe, we are committed to this partnership so as to catch them young.”
The ZOC air ticket sponsorship is a major relief to the team which endured a long bus trip to Windhoek last month.
Team coach Terrence Mazingaire, who was also in charge in their previous assignment, said: “I’m thrilled about this assignment because we are sending the next generation of tennis stars who will in the next few years represent Zimbabwe in major tennis tournament ... those who have followed tennis for the past two years will note that the selected players have excelled at national, regional and continental levels in their age groups.”
