Loyiso dedicates his life to tennis

Ekurhuleni Tennis School of Excellence (ETSOE) founder and head coach Loyiso Matsha is still passionate about sharpening young talent on the tennis courts.

The former teacher trains his tennis players six days a week. He dedicates three days to train his players in Benoni and another three days at the Germiston Stadium.

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“I have been coaching tennis since 2004. This is the only sport I have ever loved,” said Matsha.

“I have also had girls playing at the provincials. We played for the Gauteng East Association and we had Tadiwanashe Chipfakacha reaching the finals. Two boys Jayden Rooskraantz and Lethabo Bapela also reached the number two spot in 2016.”

The head coach and one of his players, Kelvin Dlamini, were also in California, USA, for 10 days in 2013 for the Weil Tennis Academy.

“Speaking of the USA reminds me of Anastacia Simons, who I coached before. She played at the Women’s Tennis Association. She got a scholarship to the USA and studied medicine and became a doctor. She also got married and has stayed there since,” he continued.

Although he has a great story to tell of his players, he said the sport is expensive to manage.

“I do not have a private or government sponsor. These players need a budget to travel around the country to play in tournaments and have proper equipment.”

Matsha also assists young players in becoming coaches.

“I have an assistant coach, Tadiwanashe Chipfakacha, who is also an incredible player. The dream is to see her coach overseas and make a living out of it,” explained Matsha.

While he was a player, he won three titles in the 1970s in Atteridgeville and Kwa-Thema.

Contact the newsroom by emailing: Marietta Lombard (Editor) germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za,  or (Journalists) Busi Vilakazi busiv@caxton.co.za