Tennis teen looks to WTA Tour

Rafael Nadal’s trademark fightbacks and Novak Djokovic’s mental strength are the attributes Gauteng East’s top-ranked female tennis player, Shazneen Kholvadia, has picked up from two of the sport’s greatest players.

The 17-year-old’s meteoric rise in the regional rankings is by no mistake. She’s been described as a tough player with a never-say-die attitude, and this has much to do with the mental toughness she draws from the multiple men’s Grand Slam winners.

On January 30, 2022, Shazneen witnessed Nadal come back from an impossible situation to win the Australian Open. Trailing Daniil Medvedev by two sets, Nadal fought back to win the epic battle 2-6, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 for his 21st Grand Slam title.

“Nadal was injured but came back from two sets down to win that match. It showed the belief he had. He believed he could win and fought back. It was amazing to watch him,” she said.

“Novak is my favourite player, though. It’s his mental strength. You can always count on him to come back. I also like his work helping up-and-coming players,” she said about Djokovic.

Shazneen, from Kempton Park, will have an opportunity to mingle with the multi-career Grand Slam winners at Wimbledon in July when she tours the All England Club with the SA Schools’ team.

“I’m really excited to go over there to watch all the players. It’s going to be amazing. I’m looking forward to all the things we are going to learn. We are going to gain lots of experience. It’s really exciting.”

Early start

The Benoni Muslim School learner started playing tennis for fun at age seven with her father, Dr Sarfaraz Kholvadia. But the bug bit, and she decided to play competitively. Her parents found her a professional coach, and she has never looked back.

She began playing in mini-tournaments where she showed real potential. After a breakthrough win, she kicked on from there and became a vital member of the Gauteng East Tennis Association (GETA)’s junior and senior set-ups.

“It’s putting the hours on the court and having a solid training programme. I put on a maximum of six hours a day on the court. I also gained lots of experience from playing in tournaments. “

The youngster spent three months in Spain in late 2022, training at the Global Tennis Academy in Mallorca.
“I was able to see the level in Europe. I gained lots of experience from the training I did and the matches I was involved in. I saw my level, what I need to do to be where I want to be.”

Future

The player wants to play on the WTA Tour, but her immediate goal is to participate in more ITF tournaments to improve her rankings.

“It’s every player’s dream to play in the WTA. But now I want to improve my rankings in the ITF and take it from there,”

Shazneen explained that she enjoys the sport because it has taught her life skills like discipline and work ethic, adding that it’s a game of life.

“When scoring in tennis, we have love, break-point and advantage. In life, you have all of that. Tennis teaches you how to deal with pressure and stressful situations,” she said.

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