Over the years, tennis has grown into a beloved sport at Fourways High School, with an increasing number of students stepping onto the courts to hone their skills. However, the boys’ tennis team has faced challenges in adapting to structural changes following the COVID19 pandemic.
In an interview with Mr. R. Swemmer, TIC of tennis, he presented the team’s road to success and the significant moments of this season. He highlighted the match against Edenglen as a turning point, stating, “The match managed to boost our team’s confidence, serving as an upgrade from the difficult previous season.”
Mr. Swemmer further gave the spotlight to three players who stood out this season. “Nathan Finn Malherbe has displayed good overall skills; Ricardo Lopez has been making impressive progress in his performance and Jaedon Lombela has demonstrated good leadership skills while also improving his game.”
Talking about his favorite match, senior captain, Jaedon Lombela remembered a doubles game played with his teammate Wonwoo Joo. “The game was especially fun because when you play doubles, you must constantly talk and have good communication with the other player. We had to come up with the plan and execute it without any problems, analyze the rival weaknesses and adjust our strategy”, he stated.
As senior captain, Jaedon recognizes the responsibility that comes with the title. One of the impacts he wishes to have is to” inspire the courage to try” amongst his fellow teammates rather than getting intimated by adversity whether on the courts or in real life.
Overall, the tennis team seems to continue to embrace improvement, with training sessions and maintained tennis courts, it has become one of the key parts of the schools’ extracurricular offerings.