Tennis project takes off in Reservoir Hills
SINCE retiring from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in August last year, Reservoir Hills resident Kishor Singh (61) has been on a mission to promote tennis.
Through the Tennis for Change project, Singh holds training sessions at the Jeevan Kara Tennis Centre in Reservoir Hills from Monday to Friday. The sessions are held every afternoon apart from Wednesday’s session which is for women and takes place in the mornings.
Singh is assisted by Keenan Pillay and Sagren Moodley, who he says go the extra mile to ensure that the project is a success.
The ladies sessions are open to all ages with the current age range of participants being 22-71 years. A school project, which was recently launched, has been well received with more than 20 learners attending.
“My heart revolves around playing and coaching tennis for the last several years. I feel personally blessed by promoting tennis. My passion for tennis was motivated by my family that played tennis regularly.
The current status of tennis in South Africa and in local communities around Durban is very dismal,” Singh told the Post.
“Soccer and cricket are always in the public limelight. It is about time that glory is brought back to South African tennis as in the heyday of Frew McMillan and his team that brought Wimbledon glory to South Africa.”
One of the biggest challenges in promoting tennis in South Africa is that it is an expensive sport to play. The equipment, coaching and access to opportunities has led to the sport being mainly confined to middle class communities. Through assistance from resident coach of Prospect Tennis Club, Darren Young, Singh’s project has made available tennis balls and rackets to participants. It is thus able to promote the sport to those who hail from lower income communities.
“Tennis is an underrated sport and not enough opportunities are available for people from poorer communities to participate.
I provide a free coaching service to my local community of Ward 22 Reservoir Hills as well as surrounding areas. Tennis is an expensive sport but through this project, we have been providing the necessary equipment as we share what we have on hand. Sponsorships and volunteers will promote this sport positively,” said Singh.
The project is influenced by Singh’s love and passion for the sport.
“Having played many types of sport, I realised that I performed exceptionally well in tennis and discovered that I was a natural. With some guidance, my love for the sport grew and I now believe that I can mentor willing participants to excel in tennis.
“I am a keen player and play tennis three times per week from 6am until noon,” said Singh.
If you are interested in the Tennis for Change project, you can contact Singh on 074 789 9335.