The sun rises for tennis development in Barberton

Sunrise Tennis Academy, under the leadership of Sabelo Mathebula and Emily Kutumela, hosted a clinic as part of its 2020/21 development programme at the Emjindini Tennis Courts in New Village on October 31.

The deputy speaker of the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature, Vusi Mkhatshwa, attended the proceedings and donated racquets, tennis balls and refreshments to the initiative.

Though not an avid tennis player himself, Mkhatshwa hails from Barberton and played volleyball at the tennis courts during his formative years.

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“I was informed about the development for the young children. I availed myself to help with the cleaning of the courts and provide assistance in terms of racquets, balls and refreshments. We hope that more kids will become involved in the sport,” he said.

Mathebula and Kutumela roped in the services of Elliot Skosana from Gert Sibande, who is passionate about tennis and tasked by the provincial structures to focus on development.

The duo, who boast a host of accolades under their belts, agreed that playing this sport from an early age is instrumental in sharpening the cognitive and physical development of young players.

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Kutumela is a registered coach and has completed the International Tennis Federation’s Play Tennis Course through Tennis SA in 2018. She is currently registered as a candidate of the BNP Paribas Coaching Mentorship Programme which aims at widening the demographics of registered coaches in South Africa.

She specialises in coaching beginners and is the co-founder of Sunrise Tennis Academy in Mbombela at Nelspruit Tennis Club.

Mathebula’s impressive tennis CV dates back to when he was 13. He forged a stellar career under the mentorship of professional tennis coach and former Tennis Coaches South Africa president, Charl Marais.

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“This was definitely a ground-breaking opportunity that further opened doors for my talent to flourish. He offered me free coaching lessons and gave me more platforms to learn a number of things.

“He took me along to assist him during coaching classes at Laerskool Nelspruit and at Van Riebeeck Park, which sharpened my skills even more.”

“Tennis helps with agility, coordination and balance. Our wish is to help develop the sport in different communities,” said Mathebula.

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He added that not every child excels at popular sports, such as soccer, and said, as an individual sport, it helps children to become more independent.

“This is just a starting point. From here, we will be taking the programme to KaBokweni, KaNyamazane and throughout the entire Ehlanzeni region. We hope to reach as many kids as possible by including them in our 2021 programme.”

Sunrise Tennis Academy is taking up the mantle by exposing children in disadvantaged communities to the sport through similar clinics where the basics are taught and a love of the game is nurtured.

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“It is really concerning that these days we don’t have enough sporting activities in our communities and the youth end up cultivating bad habits that destroy their prospects of a better future.

“We believe that for great results to be achieved this will require a collaborative effort from every stakeholder, including our provincial government, municipalities, players and parents,” continued Mathebula.

He highlighted the challenges such as the lack of facilities, equipment, funding and coaches as major stumbling blocks that Sunrise Tennis Academy hopes to eradicate through its development programme.