The Gauteng East Tennis Association (GETA) seniors’ sportsman of the year, Clint Hamilton, said his mental strength was the key to his success this year.
The tennis ace was crowned the region’s best senior male player during the end-of-season awards at the GETA Complex in Lakefield on December 2.
He explained his mental strength helped him bounce back in the most difficult times during the season.
“I feel good. It’s an honour,” he said.
“My mentality was my secret. I was always in the game, focused on the ball and not on what my opponents did.”
“My most memorable moments are the comebacks. In the beginning, I wasn’t playing at my best. I was always feeling down on the court. I then began building up my confidence to a point where I started winning.”
The youngster said he was influenced by Rafael Nadal, whose speed, agility and explosiveness saw him win 22 grand slam titles.
“He has a good mentality and the way he gets back into the game when he’s down is phenomenal. If I keep on working hard, tennis will take me far like it did with Nadal.”
Rihal Kissum and Reuben Minnaar walked away with the men’s most improved and dedicated players’ awards.
Megan Crestwell was named the sportswoman of the year while Tegan Brouwer won the most improved player award. Morgan Bothma walked away with the most dedicated player gong.
Juniors
The St Columbus School learner, Sarah Crafford, was named girls’ player of the year while Steven Strydom walked away with the boys’ title.
Crafford, from Western Extension, stated she won the award because of hard work and dedication.
“I’m very proud and excited. I love tennis and can’t wait for the U13 interprovincial tournament in Bloemfontein next year,” she said.
Olivier Kartsounis was named the most improved player and Riley Christians received the most dedicated player award.
Filip Pèsic won the boys’ most dedicated title while Christopher Greyvensteyn was named the most improved player.
In her autopsy of the season, the GETA juniors’ chairperson, Karen McRae, said the first half of the year was difficult but was happy they ended the season strongly.
“With the full facelift of the facility, the players can now see that GETA is reorganising and I think this is going to bring back the interest in tennis in the district,” said McRae.
She explained the facility would have closed down if it were not for the generosity of some investors, whose funds resulted in a revamp of the entire facility.
“We have had no support from the municipality. This was about respect and with the new committee coming in, we’ve had lots of private investors who wanted to get this place up and running again.
“We are really grateful we have people investing in this because we didn’t want to see this go. This is the headquarters of tennis in the district. With all this happening, it’s going to boost tennis in our region and the whole country will see Gauteng East as a formidable province to play against.”
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