Wheelchair Tennis South Africa (WTSA) relaunched its development centres in the Western Cape with renewed vigour following a successful camp on Saturday, November 3. The Province now boasts three development hubs – Khayelitsha, Delft and Astra. Players from Khayelitsha and Delft enjoyed a full day of tennis at Three Anchor Bay Tennis Centre in Green Point one Saturday during a camp aimed at reviving the sport in the province.
National Development Officer Archie Lemeko conducted the camp, which saw tennis enthusiasts battle it out in Cape Town with assistance from regional coach Mthetho Dlanga to continue the development of future wheelchair tennis champions in the Western Cape.
According to Lemeko, the three centres have existed for some time, but became non-operational in recent years.
“The centres died out because of different reasons, but we had to get them up and running again. We had to visit each centre to reintroduce the sport,” said Lemeko.
“The camp gave hope to old and new players. It really rekindled their spirit. The first-timers enjoyed the experience. Also, we had a great audience who enjoyed watching – and most never knew that wheelchair tennis exists. This also encouraged the able-bodied junior performance players who also held their camp at the same venue.”
Weekly practices take place every Friday at Astra School Montevideo from 09h00 to 10h30, Saturdays at Khayelitsha from 08h00 to 10h00 and Saturdays at Delft from 12h00 to 14h00.
People keen to join the club and have no tennis experience are welcome. For more information, contact WTSA at admin@tennis.co.za.
The relaunched centres and activities are made possible by a generous sponsorship from Grand Slots Western Cape.
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