With tennis often associated with the affluent, Emmanuel Ngema who is a tennis coach for Ethekwini Tennis Association (ETA) has been instrumental in transforming and taking the sport to the townships around Durban.
Ngema started in 2015 with only 20 kids, mainly from informal settlements, and today he has over 150 players. He believes he has a future champion in his stable.
According to Ngema, when he joined ETA there were no black kids playing the sport.
"It was mainly white people who played tennis at Westridge Tennis Stadium. I changed that by channeling my focus on these kids and today they are number one in the entire KwaZulu-Natal province. I am optimistic that we will produce a major champion, who will win a grand slam," said Ngema.
His contribution has not gone unnoticed, earlier this year Tennis South Africa, awarded Ngema’s development program as one of the best in the country.
