Pretoria wheelchair tennis champ sets eyes on Paralympic Games
Despite everything he has achieved, Maripa discloses that he suffered a mental breakdown towards the end of 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.
Tuks wheelchair tennis player Evans Maripa arguably has one of the best forehands in international wheelchair tennis.
The Tuks-based player is setting his sights on representing South Africa at the upcoming 2021 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
If he is to qualify, he would need to improve his international ranking slightly. Currently, he is ranked 34th in the world.
Despite everything he has achieved, Maripa disclosed that he suffered a mental breakdown towards the end of 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.
“I could not take all the uncertainty any more. The last time, I played competitively was November 2019. No one had answers as to when we will be able to resume playing,” he said.
“To add to my stress, my family could not understand why I remained at the University of Pretoria High-Performance Centre if I was not playing tournaments. The reality was that I could not just pack up and leave. I needed to continue training to be ready when we got the green light to play.
“I am grateful to my trainer Kirsty Elliott as she realised that I was in a bad place.
Elliott arranged for him to see one of the psychologists at sports, exercise medicine and lifestyle institute.
“It saved me. I got to vent all my anger and frustration and talk about my uncertainties. In the end, I got a new perspective on everything,” said Maripa.
The 31-year-old competed at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Games.
He is still unsure when he would get to play again, but there are indications that it could be in April in Korea.
He admits that he might be slightly nervous when he “wheels” onto the court again as 15 months not playing was a long time.
He is, however, confident of quickly finding the form that led to him winning tournaments in Bangkok and Thailand in 2019.
Maripa can’t help but get excited when he talks about his forehand.
He considers it as the best weapon in his tennis arsenal.
Maripa was born with a congenital birth defect and had both legs amputated below the knees.
Read original story on rekord.co.za
