Great Scott!

Andreas Scott (13) has dreams of playing in Wimbledon, Roland Garros and the US Open.

He started playing tennis when he was just five years old. He got his hands on his dad’s squash racket and played tennis with his dad for about an hour a day. Thereafter he started his formal training.

Scott said he is inspired by world number one, Novak Djokovic, who he said was not at the top of his game at some point but made a lifestyle change that improved his tennis skills dramatically.

He plans to one day go professional and thinks South African tennis is not at his best right now but in time it will reach its full potential. “There are only a few South African players who would actually go on to place in the Top 200 and my hopes are to one day surpass them,” said Scott.

The tennis enthusiast wants young boys and girls alike to find what they are good at and excel in it. Tennis has taken him to Italy, Canada, Tunisia, Botswana and Zimbabwe.

He is currently number three in Africa in the U14 category.

His coach, Jean de Lange said Scott has a natural ability to understand the game. “He has immense experience both internationally and locally. When he is in high-pressure situations he excels and performs his best,” he said.

Due to this, De Lange said that Scott needs big challenges to bring out the best in his game. He added that he trains really hard and is committed while being extremely intelligent.

“It can be a challenge training him at times, as he is so intelligent, so my coaching needs to be dynamic and innovative,” said De Lange.

He concluded that the academy strives to understand each player’s needs and getting to know the player while educating them. “Scott wants to go professional one day and that is what we are working towards.”