FORMER Zimbabwe Davis Tennis star Martin Dzuwa has hailed the Mutare Mantas Tennis Academy for being the country’s leading junior tennis “conveyor belt”.
BY KENNETH NYANGANI
The Mutare-based tennis academy has produced the bulk of junior tennis players in the national team ranks.
Dzuwa, who worked as the academy head coach in 2009-10, was back in Mutare last week to participate in the third edition of the NMB Manicaland Tennis Senior Open tournament last week.
Dzuwa lost in the last four of the singles finals to eventual winner Tendai Tapfuma 6-3 2-6 6-3. But together with his compatriot Liberty Nzula, they won the doubles title after beating Malcom Mutungamiri and Tapfuma 7-6 6-3 in the final.
In an interview with Standardsport after the tournament, Dzuwa said he was impressed by the new structures put in place at the academy.
“I am generally impressed. I think it’s one of the best in the country, if not the best. What makes it unique is that it has continued to produce top players for the country’s national tennis teams at different age groups,’’ he said.
“The way they conduct their business is just impressive. They are organised and I think the corporate world should come on board to assist such a brilliant idea. I once worked here as the academy head coach in 2009-10 and I can see things have changed for the better,” he added.
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The first tennis player to come through the ranks of Mantas Academy is Genius Chidzikwe.
The player grew up in Mutare and had a chance to enrol at the academy during its infancy. He became the first player from the academy to be awarded a tennis scholarship in the United States of America back in 1996.
Female tennis star, Pauline Chawafambira became the latest player from the academy to be awarded a six-year tennis scholarship at the Eastern Arizona College in the US, becoming the 40th player from the academy to make a breakthrough into the topflight tennis world.
Other players who recently won tennis scholarships in the US are Ronzai Saurombe and Taremekedzwa Mariga. Both are enrolled at Seward Community College, Kansas.
Former Tennis Zimbabwe president Anne Martin is the director of the college while Freeman Nyamunokora is the academy head coach.
