Eye on Wimbledon
Yusha Khan-Patel (6) is a young tennisplayer from Polokwane with a bright future ahead of him
POLOKWANE – Yusha Khan-Patel (6) is a young tennisplayer from Polokwane with a bright future ahead of him.
“He is still very young, but he has a lot of talent and will one day be a champion,” says Faan Knoetze, who coaches Yushal.
Yusha started playing tennis with his father, Mohseen when he was only three-years-old and immediately showed a love and talent for the sport.
“Before he could even walk properly his dad put a racket in his hand and started to play a bit of tennis by throwing a ball for him to hit,” says his mother, Shaazia.
Although Yusha has not taken part in any tournaments yet, his big dream is to one day play at Wimbledon and meet Rafael Nadal.
“Rafael is my favourite tennis player. He is a great player and a fighter, he doesn’t give up,” says Yusha.
Yusha met Raven Klaasen at the Davis Cup clash between South Africa and Monaco at the Irene Country Club on Sunday.
“It really encouraged him to be there and to meet this player,” says Mohseen.
Yusha enjoys everything about tennis, but his favourite shot is the smash. “That’s when I can hit the ball very hard,” he says.
Yusha practises every Saturday morning and Knoetze helps him with fitness and technique. “One day I will also be as good as Rafael,” says Yusha.
