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Nozipho Ncube
THE next top Zimbabwean tennis star could emerge from Plumtree or Mvuma if an initiative by veteran and retired female tennis player Fadzai Madzimbamuto Tomasik is taken seriously by stakeholders.
Spearheaded by the Zimbabwe born but retired tennis player based in Switzerland, the Fadzai Madzimbamuto Tomasik Tennis Foundation tournamentA� is in its second year and was recently played at the Emakhandeni Tennis Club.
The venue of the tournament also holds a special place in Madzimbamuto Tomasika��s heart as it is at the same courts that she fell in love with the game at the age of 14 growing up in the same neighbourhood.
What makes the tournament unique is that not only does it target players from a tender age of three but also targets schoolchildren from rural areas.
To suit players under the age of six, the courts are adjusted with mobile nets while the children are given age appropriate balls and rackets to use.
Players aged 12 are the oldest permitted to take part.
On 30 July more than 80 children attended the second edition of the tennis tournament at Emakhandeni Tennis Court and the excitement from children holding tennis rackets was evident as coaches took the them through basic drills.
The coaches are also part of the foundationa��s thrust to spread the game into previously disadvantaged communities like the western suburbs and rural areas.
According to the Fadzai Madzimbamuto Foundation spokesperson, Gilbert Tabengwa, the children were very keen on playing tennis and exhibited great understanding of the rules of the game.
a�?Kids as young as three years old showed great interest in the game. That is the aim of the tournament because we envisage to create interest in the game of tennis from an early age not only from kids from urban areas but also from rural communities,a�? said Tabengwa.
As with most sporting foundations keeping children away from the streets, social vices such as alcohol and drugs abuse, the Madzimbamuto Tomasik Tennis Foundation also aims to keep children busy and focused through tennis in their spare time, free from schoolwork.
a�?Sport has proven to be a good and productive way of keeping kids off the streets and we also hope our foundation through the tennis tournament can achieve just that. Athletically driven children should be supported and given access to safe and standard facilities to train, socialise and develop skills,a�? he said.
As motivation, players were given rackets, tennis balls, bags, sneakers and kits.
Between now and the third edition of the tennisA� tournament volunteer teachers from surrounding schools in Emakhandeni schools trained as coaches will continue to monitor the young players regularly.
a�?Because Fadzai is back in Switzerland does not mean the kids will be forgotten until the next tournament. Volunteer coaches will continue to train the kids from time to time,a�? added Tabengwa.
Online Reporter