An everlasting love for tennis
85-year-old Reservoir Hills senior citizen Roy Naidu not only continues to play tennis, he also serves as chairman of the New Germany Road based Jeevan Kara Tennis Club.
Born in Pietermaritzburg, Naidu moved to central Durban with his family in the 1950s. A Liverpool fan for over 60 years, Naidu’s love for sport was cultivated at the Curries Fountain Soccer Stadium situated near his former residence where he saw his beloved Berea FC as well as the likes of Dharam Mohan and Daya Maistry in action.
As a football fan, Naidu boasts the rare distinction of having watched two World Cups in person. He was present at the 1994 World Cup final in the US when Brazil beat Italy on penalties as well as when the showpiece came to South Africa in 2010.
Naidu started playing tennis in the 1950s.
“I was very sick growing up. I had every chest problem, pneumonia, asthma, chronic asthma. I took a lot of tablets. In the 50s I started playing tennis. There were not many courts available to us due to apartheid so you had to know someone to get in. In the 50s, I went to M.L Sultan to do my diploma and they had a tennis court there. I made friends with lecturers there and started playing.
“My dad and uncle were good soccer players and tennis players so it ran in the family. In the late 1960s, we started playing at the Valjee’s court which was a private court in Kennedy Road. There were about 8-10 of us and we had one court,” he recalled.
In the 1970s, Naidu played league tennis where he competed against African and coloured players. He has been part of the Jeevan Kara tennis club since the 1980s. Naidu ranks his two Wild Coast Open Championship doubles victories as highlights of his competitive career.
“I have a passion for the game. I don’t play league tennis anymore but I enjoy playing socially for the love of it. The game is not all brawn as it is brain as well.
“We have a good mix of people ranging from lawyers, doctors, school principals and businessmen. The camaraderie is good and we have jokes and fun,” said Naidu.
Since succeeding the late Ebrahim Osman, Naidu has served as the chairman of Jeevan Kara for over 10 years. He believes one of the biggest challenges is motivating today’s youth to play the game.
“The youngsters are more concerned with electronic devices. I went to principals of the local schools, offering free coaching and offering to offer rackets but there was a small reaction,” he said, adding that the club plans to grow the game in collaboration with esteemed grassroots tennis coach Emmanuel Ngema.
Retired for 24 years, Naidu previously worked as the provincial sales representative for L Suzman Distributors, a job which took him around the world.
Other than sport, he enjoys reading and is a fan of the POST Newspaper which he has been reading regularly for decades.
Naidu has been married to Kasturie for 51 years. He has one daughter, Anusia, who works as a high school teacher in Johannesburg. He has two grandchildren, Shiven (20) and Divani (19).