Gallery
KNYSNA TENNIS NEWS - It is not often that a Knysnarian gets to represent her country at an international sporting event, but for local tennis master Debra Hyde, heading to Germany in August will be her fourth time doing so.
Hyde, who started playing tennis at the age of four in the windy city of Port Elizabeth and has been a tennis coach in Knysna for almost 20 years, will also be captaining the team of four 50-plus players heading to Ulm in Germany from 12 to 18 August for the ITF Seniors World Team Championships. This will be her third time as captain of the team.
Click here for a photo gallery.
Hyde’s first stint as captain of the SA senior’s tennis team, which was also the first time she was selected for the team, was in 2010 in the 45-plus age group when she went to Mexico City, Mexico. Since then, as part of the 50-plus team, she went to France in 2015 and took up the captaincy again in 2016 when the team went to Helsinki in Finland. This year will be her last opportunity to play in the 50-plus category.
Road to selection
According to Hyde she had to take part in a number of ranking tournaments to qualify for the team, of which the three best results count towards selection. Among others, she played the Eden seniors tournament in George last December, took part in the Western Province Senior Tournament in Cape Town during January this year, and also went to nationals in Bloemfontein during March this year.
“It’s a great honour and privilege to represent SA again. Tennis often doesn’t get the recognition it deserves, so I strive to be a good ambassador on and off the court and try to constantly develop tennis in Eden,” she said.
Other than being a tennis master, Hyde is also the president of umbrella organisation Eden Tennis, chair of the Eden Seniors subcommittee, and chairperson of the Knysna Tennis Club.
At the recent Eden Sport Awards held in Oudtshoorn, Hyde received a Lifetime Achiever award.
Knysna's own tennis master, Debra Hyde in action at the Knysna Tennis Club.
For these players though, getting to an international tournament is done at their own cost. This year the Knysna Waterfront Leisure Centre has assisted Hyde with a plane ticket, making it possible for her to attend the championships. “A very generous sponsor indeed,” she added.
'We bring you the latest Knysna, Garden Route news'
