The ManicaPost
Ray Bande Senior Reporter
TALENTED United States-based Zimbabwe tennis ace Ronzai Saurombe has reaffirmed his commitment to play for his country in future after the Mutare- born player failed to turn up for last months’ Davis Cup assignment citing professional commitments.
The former Hillcrest College pupil was called for national duty but failed to make it in promotional Davis Cup playoffs played in Cairo, Egypt, in July and the team was left to make do with captain Martin Dzuwa, Takanyi Garanganga, the Lock brothers – Benjamin and Courtney – Tadiwa Chianamo and Melhuli Sibanda.
After fighting long and hard to reclaim a place in the Europe/Africa Zone Group Two for 2018, and beating Kenya 2-0 in promotional playoffs played in Cairo in July, Zimbabwe will now wait for the January draw after which the country will battle for a place in a more competitive Group One or the right to remain in the same group.
The promotional playoffs played in Cairo featured nine countries grouped into Pool A and Pool B.
Saurombe, however, is not an isolated case of a tennis player concentrating on their academic and professional interests more than sharpening their skills for the country’s bid to fight for a place back in the Davis Cup Euro Africa Group One of tennis-playing nations given that more than 60 players from Mutare have to date joined the great trek to the United States of America, thanks to Mantas Tennis Academy’s strong links to colleges in America.
“I was called for the Davis Cup assignment in Egypt but unfortunately I was so committed with my schoolwork as well as at my workplace. I felt so bad that I could not make it. I have always wanted to play for Zimbabwe and I believe we have a bright future after the slump that came with the retirement of the Black brothers. I will be available for selection in future and, given the chance, I will certainly give my all for the good of my country.
“It’s mainly about difference in schedules really. Sometimes most of the guys have different schedules with school and careers and it’s tough to do both, also the finance part is usually tough at times too. So it’s a tough ball to juggle. We would all love to come and play for our country, no doubt about that. I personally would love to and hopefully if all goes well, I can compete in the next year or two,” he said.
Unlike scores of football players that have crossed the mighty Limpopo River to ply their trade in the lucrative ABSA Premiership in South Africa and return to feature for the national team given the chance, Mantas Tennis Academy has churned out many talented players who have pursued various professions in the United States apart from tennis.
Even before the days of Dangamvura- born Genius Chidzikwe, tennis players, through the Mutare tennis talent nursery – Mantas Tennis Academy – have played the game from junior level with the aim of securing a move to the States.
Mantas Tennis Academy, the main reason Manicaland has maintained its dominance in local tennis circles, started at the turn of the new millennium, thanks to the efforts of the Martins family at their Five Streams Farm about 30km out of Mutare off the Penhalonga Road.
For most followers of the game of tennis, memories linger of the Zimbabwe side which reached the Davis Cup elite World Group in the late 1990s and early 2000, close to two decades ago, with Byron Black and his brother Wayne being the torch-bearers.
Distinctively, Zimbabwe graced the elite Davis Cup World Group for three consecutive years from 1998 to 2000.
The free-fall was to coincide with Byron’s period of retirement, with Zimbabwe being relegated in 2001 to Euro-Africa Zone Group One, a rung below the elite world group.
The coming three years became a period of battling to stay afloat in that group.
As the era of Wayne, Chidzikwe and Gwinyai Tongoona failed to blossom, Zimbabwe was to be relegated to the unfashionable Euro Africa Zone Group 2 in 2005.
By 2007, the Davis Cup team was now languishing in the Europe-Africa Zone Group III.
While this history mirrors how the mighty have fallen due to lack of investment and proper strategic planning, the determination of youngsters in Chanakira, Garanganga, Lock and Fynn, who are coached by Dzuwa, has provided hope for probable glory in the future.
Mantas Tennis Academy coach- cum-administrator Vincent Nyatoti conceded that most of the players they have produced have gone to the US and they can only help the local game by donating equipment and financing tournaments whenever their personal resources allow.
“We cannot really say we are exporting talent because if that was the case there should have been financial rewards to reap from that. We now have more than 60 players that have gone to United States through Mantas Tennis Academy.
“As Mantas we deal with marginalised communities in Dangamvura, Sakubva and other areas. Yes, we also have participants from private schools but we mainly concentrate on the marginalised because we believe that is where we have more talent.
“This is reminiscent of the likes of Blessing Bvunzawabaya, who is currently working on a project to support young players at Rujeko Primary in Dangamvura where he went to school. The main reason is that we do not have proper structures to improve their talents whenever they go beyond 18. They end up in the US. Mantas Tennis Academy helps them secure scholarships to further their studies as well as partake in college tennis,” he said.
On why they do not take their international career further and possibly help the nation scale dizzy heights in international competitions, Nyatoti said: “Ninety percent of the time they are supposed to come and play for Zimbabwe, there are financial constraints. It is our hope that one day we will have enough resources to keep track of the talented players that we produce for them to help the nation achieve its goals in international competitions.”
Since the formation of Mantas Tennis Academy back in 2000, vastly talented players such as Chidzikwe have embarked on a great trek that has not done much to help change the fortunes of the game in the country.
Maybe the words of Byron Black, arguably Zimbabwe’s best tennis player, soon after quitting professional tennis in 2005, sum it up all: “Unless there is big money and investment from Government, we won’t get anywhere. The problem with African countries is that we want to be always getting money from outsiders, we have to forget about that and do it ourselves.”
