Chronicle Editor
Nkosilathi Sibanda, Sports Reporter
WHEN the 4AM alarm beeps, Julius Ndhlovu knows well what that means.
He has to wake his son Courage up and both have to go out for a jog. In that wee hour, they stride gentle for about two kilometres. They then do the usual body stretches and exercises and head back home.
Julius makes sure he heats up water for bathing and makes a portion of light breakfast. Courage’s day is a packed one. He has to go for his morning training session at Emakhandeni Tennis Courts. The 13-year-old has played tennis since his primary school days and he has not let the racket down since. He trains under the Tomasik Tennis Academy that is fronted by former national player Fadzai Madzimbamuto-Tomasik.
Like what any loving father will do, Julius always attends his son’s training sessions. And that has paid dividends.
Courage is one of the three young tennis players who are representing the country at the Under-14 International Tennis Federation (ITF) and Confederation of African Tennis (CAT) Southern African Junior Individual and Teams Championships in Namibia. Others are Kuzivaishe Chapepa and Akeelah Khanye.
The youngsters are ranked highly in the local tennis circuit under Tennis Zimbabwe. Chapepa’s father Fraderick is also one man whose support for her daughter is unmatched. He follows her matches, if he is free from his daily grind at work.
The same goes for Akeelah’s dad, Glad. The Khanyes have formed a bond that other parents ought to envy.
These three men smiled and went up in jubilation at their children’s recent performances in Namibia. The cheer was well deserved as they entered the New Year in style.
But, the smiles hide the immense challenge these fathers face in their quest to support their children’s passion.
More like Julius, Fraderick and Glad are hands-on in their children’s development in sport. Theirs is a bitter yet sweeter version of the trials and tribulations that have been told before.
In a wide ranging chat with Zimpapers Sports Hub last week, the three fathers shared their life stories on how they go about in supporting their tennis playing kids. First to share his was Julius. He was quick to say his biggest challenge was finance.
“It takes someone who is financially strong, as it is not a joke to support a child playing tennis. Of course we are bound to meet challenging times especially when pockets are dry. I send a begging bowl to all that I know.
“The other challenge is that we have to self-finance trips even if our children are representing the country. I would like to challenge Tennis Zimbabwe to cast their net wider and look for sound sponsorship,” said Julius who is also a well-known football goalkeepers’ coach and a fitness trainer.
He said owing to the harsh economic environment, the country tends to lose many talented youngsters, who later give up as their parents cannot afford buying equipment, apparel and other necessities.
“The country is losing a lot of talent because of lack of funding. It would be better for Tennis Zimbabwe to talk to corporates and stakeholders about the situation in tennis.”
He said even if finances don’t add up, he always makes sure his son gets what he wants.
“When I am around I always help him with fitness as we concentrate on agility, co-ordination and movements. The other biggest motivation is he always wants to beat my medal collection. I give him whatever he asks, as in knowledge of doing better in sport.”
For Khanye, tennis is an expensive sport that needs brave and hard-working parents.
“Tennis is a very expensive sport. It’s unlike football, cricket or rugby. You have to pay the coach, buy a racket, not just one. Every month you buy new tennis sneakers due to hard court surfaces, vigorous training and drills. After that the child has to travel to play in tournaments and you pay for that. I part ways with huge amounts of money in order for Akeelah to live for her dream to become big in tennis. Without finance, nothing happens in tennis,” he said.
He also advised parents to let their children do what they are gifted in.
“Just let the child pick their preferred sport. I don’t push my kids to play tennis or any other sport. They choose for themselves. It’s their God given talent and we have to support them. Try to be present whenever your child is playing and give as much support as you can.
“Sometimes when I am not at work. I make it a point to spend as much time on the tennis court playing with them, taking notes and asking the coach some questions. I set goals and when the goals are reached we celebrate together. They have a good coach in Mike Mlambo who understands them and who always make them feel they are kids and that makes the sport enjoyable,” he said.
The issue of finances is also a thorn in the flesh for Chapepa.
“Funding is our biggest challenge, especially when it comes to national assignments. Our national association, Tennis Zimbabwe seems to have no funding at all. As a parent you have to pay for everything. For example, they went all the way from Bulawayo to Namibia by road, in a kombi. The same goes with the players from Harare. Something just has to give in. Parents are sweating out for the sake of the country and that is a toil,” said Chapepa.
He said his strength lies in inspiring his children to do their best amid the challenges.
“I only allow my children to set goals and targets for themselves. They must know what they want and the benefits they will get. As a parent, you must not make the child play tennis in order to please you. Don’t make them play for you, because they will end up resisting, especially when they reach teenagehood.
“With education it’s never easy. There are times when the child has to write an examination but they are participating in a final match of a tournament. Sometimes they write their examinations on court, awaiting to play a game. We, at time find ourselves begging match officials to delay the match a bit so that the child finishes the examination. It’s not easy as some teachers think sport is a waste of time,” said Chapepa. – @NkosieLegend.
Bongani Ndlovu