Weltevreden Park Tennis Club begins 2020 men’s singles championships
Early favourite is the winner of two of the last three finals, Juan de Beer, who cruised through his opening match against Yusef Patel.
Tight strings, firm balls and rusty joints emerged from the inactivity of the lockdown to bring competitive tennis back to the court.
The first round of Weltevreden Park Tennis Club’s men’s singles club championships began on a chilly morning, 8 August. Thirty-two players, divided into four groups of eight players each, began their fight for the four slots that would book their qualification for the knockout stages. The last 16 will be whittled down to two until the grand final in four weeks’ time.
Early favourite is the winner of two of the last three finals, Juan de Beer, who cruised through his opening match against Yusef Patel. He will be made to earn every point on the way to the title, with strong challenges coming in the form of Julius Skukuza, to mention a few.
“Just good to get the cobwebs out,” joked Julius. The spectre of Covid-19 was still present as all obeyed the mandated health and safety protocols, as they will need to do for the remainder of the championships. Attendees signed in, completed the questionnaire and had their temperatures taken before friends could catch up behind their assorted masks.
The global pandemic has not infected the club’s spirit and ambitions. “We are striving to be a developmental club for all ages and demographics. We have created a family atmosphere here and we have an incredible social environment at the club,” boasted chairperson Yusuf Coovadia. Health restrictions pending, he encourages the public to make use of the courts, either as a new member or a visitor, with enquiries being made at weltiestennis@gamil.com.
Tennis is a graceful combination of precision and power, making it a great test of both mind and body.
For the next month, Weltevreden Park?s finest will serve up quality cross-court action for a spot on the honours board.
