Lifelong love of game, set and match
FEW people from the Indian South African community have been involved in the sport of tennis for as long as Prem Sewnarain.
Sewnarian’s interest in the game began late when he was in his twenties.
He acquired the fundamentals of the game by initially playing tennisette. Tennisette is a sport that is similar to tennis but is played with smaller rackets.
“A few years later, I was invited by my educator friends to play a game of tennis as they were short of players. Not knowing much about the game, I nevertheless commenced, being guided and motivated by them.
“In this way, I acquired an interest in tennis and played the game more regularly, with no regrets,” said the recently retired former teacher.
Sewnarain has been a member of the Chatsworth Tennis Club since it opened its doors in 2002, and serves as the deputy-president of the club which strives to promote the game within the community of Chatsworth and surrounding areas.
The club is also affiliated to the Ethekwini Tennis Association (ETA).
As part of his duties, he helps with the administration of the club and the co-ordination of club activities, supervising games, recruiting players and communication with the eThekwini authorities regarding the maintenance of courts and promoting junior development.
Sewnarian credits the management experience that he gained from being a teacher for helping him with his leadership duties.
He also credits the support of club members past and present for helping him execute his leadership duties.
He has previously served as the president of the club, a role that he has alternated with fellow founding member Brian Nair.
As a player, Sewnarain has won numerous tournaments in the over-40s category as well as the mixed doubles category.
Currently, he is unable to compete in the game at a competitive level, but does still participate in social tennis.
“Playing league matches against other clubs was enjoyable. There was room for improvement and thus progress all the time.
“We have had the opportunity to play with the best in Durban and surrounding areas, and our results were remarkable.
“League matches and tournaments took place annually on the club calendar.
“It was something to look forward to,” said the 61-year-old when reflecting on his playing days.
Sewnarain pointed out that there are many adults who participate in social tennis.
However, as with most other codes, participation by the youth is declining and many children who start the game eventually stop playing once they graduate to high school.
“Parents play a vital role in the lives of their children.
“They provide the incentives. Some children, however, do not show much interest in sport.
“Many of them are hooked on cellphones and have other interests. This complicates the role of the parent,” added Sewnarain.
He has been married to Nishany for more than 30 years.
They have two children, Prayog (an IT specialist) and Priyanka (a civil engineer). His favourite current Tennis players are Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
“They are fast and furious and never give up, there is much to be learnt from these two,” he said.