The Botswana Tennis Association is pleading with the public to turn up in numbers and support the ongoing World Tennis Tour M15/W15 at the National Tennis Centre, which runs until 23 May, as officials stress its impact on players and national development
GAZETTE REPORTER
The Botswana Tennis Association has called on Batswana to attend the ongoing World Tennis Tour M15/W15 event and show support for both local and visiting players.
“Yes definitely. Entrance is free and the likes of Mark Nawa, Seabo Saleshando and Ntungamili Raguin will be playing,” said marketing and communications manager Tshepang Tlhankane.
The association said public attendance is essential in building atmosphere and supporting player performance during the tournament.
Home Impact
Tlhankane said hosting international tournaments locally plays a key role in shaping athlete performance and mentality.
“Its very important because bringing these high level competitions home somehow positively affects the psychology of local athletes to outperform themselves with the support of the local crowd. In hindsight this prepares them for any competition in the world and propells them to grateness. Doing good at home boosts confidence that players can win any competition no matter where they are,” he said.
Global Pathways
He also noted that the World Tennis Tour provides players with opportunities to earn ATP points, which are crucial for international progression.
“It means great exposure and it means they have every opportunity to work towards gaining ATP points. These tournaments come with ATP points which puts players in a good global tennis space. Getting atp points opens up opportunities for good seeding and wild card opportunities at many tournaments,” Tlhankane said.
Hosting Experience
Botswana’s previous experience hosting international tennis has strengthened its readiness for such events.
“We are always prepared. This is not the first event of its nature therefore we already know what we need to do. Having successfully hosted two Davis Cup events has given us the confidence and knowledge to prepare well for such,” he said.
Development Focus
Tlhankane added that higher-grade tournaments are also key for youth development and long-term growth of tennis in Botswana.
“Its very important to host tournaments of higher grade because it gives both participants and young players great exposure. When younger players come to watch all these players from all over the world, they get to learn a lot and it also grows their interest in the sport which helps us retain, grow and develop,” he said.
He further outlined plans to strengthen the National Tennis Centre’s high performance programme.
“The plan is to grow our high performance program at the National Tennis Centre. Once we achieve this, we will close every gap which is often caused by players leaving junior tennis or some relocating or just stopping to play. The high performance will help us have a huge pool which is always feeding into our teams,” he said.