Beach tennis set to kick off

Wesley Bo on

With Africa making early strides in developing the sport, Tennis SA hopes to play a lead role in the expansion of beach tennis over the next few years.

Following the recent announcement of a three-year sponsorship deal, four international tournaments were set to be held around the country next month in the inaugural KIA Summer Slam Beach Tennis Tour.

The lucrative campaign, scheduled to be held between December 8-21, would form part of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Beach Tennis Tour.

Opening with contests in Cape St Francis and Buffalo Bay, each carrying prize purses of R35 000, the Summer Slam tour would move on to Plettenberg Bay, with purses of R90 000 and R350 000 on offer at two tournaments which were expected to attract some of the best players in the world in the fledgling code.

While the sport had grown in popularity in Europe and South America, beach tennis had yet to take off in Africa.

The inaugural African Beach Tennis Championships were held in Tunisia earlier this month, but winners Morocco and hosts Tunisia were the only countries represented, and there were no African players ranked among the top 100 in the world in the men’s or women’s divisions.

Opening the Summer Slam series to the public, however, organisers were eager to spot some talent ahead of the ITF World Beach Tennis Team Championships in Russia next year.

The national federation also believed the unique code, which combined elements of tennis and beach volleyball, could be used as an entry-level platform for the traditional game of tennis.

Online entries for the local tour were set to close on November 30, and registration was limited to people over the age of 15.