Arusha Gymkhana Club (AGC) tennis coach Nicolaus Jonas said his nine players who will join the Tanzania team for the East African Tennis Championship to be held in Dar es Salaam next week are in good shape and looking forward to good results.
The tournament to be held at the Dar es Salaam Gymkhana Club (DGC) will involve juniors U-14, 16 and 18 in boys and girls’ categories.
Jonas, who is just back from the 18th International Tennis Federation (ITF) Coaching Conference organised by BNP Paribas in Cancun, Mexico, said that all players have been undergoing intensive training at the club.
“All players are in good shape after intensive training and several trials. They have been busy preparing since I returned from Mexico and hope for good results,” he said.
Arusha players who will join those from Morogoro and Dar es Salaam at the Tanzania team include Emmanuel Mallya, who is currently at the Bujumbura Tennis Academy after securing ITF scholarship three years ago where he is undergoing tennis and academic lessons.
Others are Tumaini Meshuko, Frank Menard and Sadick Ibrahim (all U-16 boys), Omari Sulle, who is also at Bujumbura Tennis Academy, and Hassan Hamisi (U-14 boys), Deogratus Felix and Yusuph Felix (U-12 boys) and lone girl Ester Mohamed (U-12).
Jonas said he is happy to secure a career opportunity by attending a global conference in Mexico from November 5-9 and that he learned a lot. “I learned a lot in Mexico most were new tactics on how to coach players from the age of 14-18 and 19-23.
It improved my coaching skills from where I was before and I hope to improve the standard of my players very much,” he said.
Jonas went to Mexico just a month after attending the ITF/Olympic Solidarity East African Regional Coaches Workshop in Bujumbura, Burundi which focused on juniors programmes.
