Online Reporter
Brandon Moyo, Zimpapers Sports Hub
KUDA NEMBAWARE, a UK-based former Zimbabwean tennis player turned coach, is making significant strides across Europe as one of the game’s elite minds. Holding the highest coaching qualifications in tennis, Nembaware is instrumental in developing emerging talents, including Isabella Barratt-Campbell, daughter of ex-Arsenal and England international defender Sol Campbell.
Barratt-Campbell is currently competing at the ITF J30 Bulawayo, South Central Circuit Zimbabwe, held at Bulawayo Country Club.
Nembaware, currently in Italy with German number two junior and world number 29, Jamie Mackenzie, in preparation for the French Open, was unable to travel to Bulawayo with Campbell and his daughter. However, he spoke to Zimpapers Sports Hub about the pressures of mentoring the daughter of a high-profile sporting figure like Campbell, and how he met the Campbells.
“There are not many high performance tennis coaches around the world and so the network is very small. The Campbells were referred to me by another high performance coach David Sammel who used to coach players like Liam Broady, Kyle Edmund, Jamie Delgado, and Martin Lee among others.
“It is just like coaching any other child (working with Barratt-Campbell), the only difference is that parents are a bit more clued on about the demands of high performance sport and the importance of creating environments and encouraging habits that can help in athlete and person development. I have been more of a consultant from about the end of last year and have just recently started coaching Isabella, just over a month ago,” said Nembaware.
Nembaware’s passion for tennis began at Baring Primary School in Mutare, where he had twice-weekly lessons as part of PE. His enthusiasm for the sport has continued to grow, and he remains committed to learning and achieving further success. An avid Arsenal fan, and a Sports Management and Coaching Studies Graduate from Buckinghamshire New University in the UK, Nembaware also holds the FA Level 2 Coaching Qualification in football.
“The ones that showed potential were then invited to attend provincial squad training at Mutare Girls High and that’s how it all started from Primary School Tennis (mid 1990s) to Provincial Tennis (late 1990s) and then National Tennis/International Tennis (2000s and Onwards/present).
“I am still learning and still trying to break more ground and gain some traction but you have to be passionate and committed and consistent and always looking to learn and never ever think you know everything but still exude an insatiable and infectious confidence and belief,” he said.
Having played and worked in Zimbabwe, Nembaware believes the sport has room for growth in the country. He suggests that greater structure and clearer pathways are needed to attract corporate sponsorship, given tennis’s expense. He feels Zimbabwe could benefit from adopting practices seen in countries like England to ensure the sport’s continued development.
“I believe that in Zimbabwe we have a lot of potential and the different administrations do their best with the little resources they have but unfortunately tennis is an extremely expensive sport and very much labour intensive and capital intensive. There needs to be more structure and clear pathways with more playing opportunities and competition opportunities to make the sport more visible so it can attract more and more of the corporate world.
Increase the number of people playing the sport, retain more people within the sport and excel more people with actual data and numbers.
“In England they currently have this drive for example called “Tennis Opened Up” which is about making tennis more Inclusive, Diverse, Equal and Accessible (IDEA) with current numbers and the numbers of the goals they have and a clear action plan of how they intend to achieve those goals,” he said.
@brandon_malvin
Londile Moyo