From Alberton to the world: Tatenda Mutetwa to set off to Hong Kong

Hoërskool Marais Viljoen High School Alumni Tatenda Mutetwa left SA in his matric year to pursue his tennis dream in the US.

He received a four-year bursary to play tennis at Lewis University in Chicago.

After making it big in his tennis career, the sportsman received his first international call-up.

Mutetwa was selected to represent Zimbabwe in the Davis Cup World Group II Playoff in Hong Kong from February 2 to 4. He will compete with the best players the country has.

The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men’s tennis. Run by the International Tennis Federation, it is contested annually between teams from over 140 competing countries. Organisers describe it as the “World Cup of Tennis”, and refer to the winners as the world champions.

“I’ll be playing for my country, and if we win that match, we will be promoted to World Group I. If we lose that match, we get demoted to World Group III. This is the first time I’ve been called up for Davis Cup. I’m very excited for this opportunity. It’s a huge honour for me to represent my country at the highest level of international tennis,” he said.

Only four players will go and compete for the entire country.

His team comprises Benjamin Lock (top 300 players in the world), Courtney Lock (top 300 doubles player in the world), and Benedict Badza (division one tennis player). They will be under the watchful eye of coach Takanyi Garanganga (formerly ranked in the top 250 in the world).

Mutetwa is still studying at Lewis University, currently in his second year, and is gearing up for his next tennis season, which will run for about three months.

According to the talented player, the Davis Cup is the highest achievement in his tennis career. He has been preparing for two months ahead of the event.

“Over the December break, I competed in the Cup of Tournaments just to help me prepare for the Davis Cup. We will travel to Hong Kong on January 27, giving us about a week to familiarise ourselves with the environment, given it’s going to be summer,” he explained.

Mutetwa thanked Jomac Tennis Academy, LAT Tennis Academy and Prominent Roofing Alberton for their continued support.