HARARE — Fledgling Zimbabwe junior tennis players are aiming to tap into the inspiration which saw their compatriots scoop six gold medals at the recent AUSC Region 5 Games when they strut onto the court for the ITF CAT Southern African Junior Championships.
About 117 players from 11 nations within southern Africa are expected to battle for honours at the regional tournament which starts at Harare Sports Club on January 6 running through to the 16th.
The tournament serves as a way to effectively rank players based regional performance.
Players who reach the quarter finals will qualify to participate in the soon-to-be-held Africa Junior Championships.
Tennis Zimbabwe selector Miracle Matanga is upbeat the junior players selected to represent Zimbabwe will leave everything on the court.
“We have tried our best to come uo with the best team for this event although we have a few players who could not make it due to various reasons,” Matanga told journalists during a pre-tournament media briefing.
The technical draw for the tournament is expected to be held later today.
Elsewhere, Tennis Zimbabwe will also host the Southern Region Zonal Presidents Meeting on the 15th of January 2023 at Cresta Oasis.
Tennis Zimbabwe president Biggie Magarira believes the hosting of the two events puts the association in good stead as it seeks to achieve the objectives of its strategic plan.
“Our new vision is to make Zimbabwe “A World Class Tennis Nation,” Magarira said.
“We believe we have what it takes to produce world class tennis players, develop world class tennis coaches and officials, build world class tennis facilities, host world class tennis events and make tennis a national sport.”
