AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE International Tennis Federation (ITF) has sponsored two of three players who will play in BNB Paribas Wheelchair World Cup qualification to be staged in Portugal from May 8 to 15 this year.
ITF confirmed the sponsorship to Tanzania Tennis Association (TTA) while named Novatus Temba and Jumanne Mohamed as the players to benefit from the offer.
The Head Coach of the Tanzania Wheelchair Tennis team, Riziki Salumu said ITF decided to support the two players following their good show in the various international level tournaments.
Salum said there is one more male player and two women athletes in the list besides the duo.
“Preparation has started and everything is going on according to the schedule. We have high hopes that our athletes will perform well there,” he said.
Salum, who has been a key figure in the grassroots tennis projects for many years, said he believes on his players because they have been well trained for the event.
Speaking on the trip, one of the players, Novatus Temba thanked ITF for the support and promised to work hard in Portugal to ensure he qualifies for the bigger events.
“We are well drilled and very ready to showcase our tennis talent. The sponsorship has motivated me and my team mate,” he said.
On his side, Jumanne Mohamed said he was delighted to be in the squad that will play in Portugal after the postponement of the global level tournament that was to take place in Kenya early this year.
“We are optimistic we will play well there. What we need is the support from the National Sports Council and the Ministry of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports,” he said.
The two players have played for Tanzania in the various tournaments held in Turkey, Sweden, Malaysia and Kenya
