The BNP Paribas RCS Rising Star Tennis initiative is a sports project that aims to increase youth participation in tennis and create opportunities for school boys and girls from all communities.

Now in its second year, the competition is welcoming new entrants, many of whom have never played tennis before. They will have the opportunity to play with some of South Africa’s most promising junior players, in the ultimate tennis talent search.

Ahead of the widely anticipated annual series, tennis activations will be launched all over South Africa. These activations will also provide support for disadvantaged schools. This will be done by coaching schoolchildren who have little or no previous playing experience to prepare them for the BNP Paribas RCS Rising Star Tennis competition.

Over the next few weeks, development clinics will be held in Polokwane, Port Elizabeth and Atteridgeville (Pretoria). These clinics will include sessions with Rising Star Tennis ambassadors Kgothatso Montjane and Kholo Montsi, as well as media personality Carol Tshabalala.

Anthony Moruthane, Rising Star Tennis Project Director, stressed that the organizers will ensure that stringent Covid-19 safety protocols are implemented at all tournaments from district level to the national final.

Kevin Anderson, the former world number five player and two-time Grand Slam finalist, who continues to play a key role as the main ambassador and face of BNP Paribas RCS Rising Star Tennis, will conduct a series of virtual masterclass sessions to help mobilize and excite the children ahead of the competition.

Entries are already open for this popular series, and interested participants are urged to get their teams in before the deadline on Friday, 26 March.

District school competitions are intended to start in April, followed by provincial school finals in all nine provinces in May.

The BNP Paribas RCS Rising Star Tennis National Final will be held at two venues – the Arthur Ashe Tennis Centre in Soweto and the Groenkloof Tennis Club in Pretoria – from 30 July to 1 August this year.

Following the various levels of competition around the country, which will involve hundreds of primary and high school children, 56 teams will compete in the National Final, including eight wild card entries and eight wheelchair tennis teams.

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram