The ManicaPost
Ray Bande : Senior Sports Reporter
MUTARE-BORN former Mantas Tennis Academy coach, Freeman Nyamunokora, became the third Zimbabwean coach to undergo the invitational International Tennis Federation Level Three coaching course for high performance players – the highest ITF coaching qualification on the globe.
The burly tennis coach, who traces his roots to the sprawling suburb of Dangamvura, left the country for Valencia, Spain last Saturday where the course is running for six weeks from September 12 to October 23.
The only other Zimbabweans to attain the same coaching credential are Gwinyai Tongoona and South African-based Prince Madema.
“I am happy, of course, after being recognised among tennis coaches. I am really grateful to the International Tennis Federation and the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee for selecting me for that prestigious course. It goes without saying that my experiences in this course will help me come back and impart that knowledge to my fellow Zimbabweans. I am looking forward to learn skills that will help improve our game,” said Nyamunokora.
Nyamunokora joined other seven participants from different parts of the world for the six-week long course.
The soft spoken tennis coach cut his milk teeth while mentoring youths of different ages at Mantas Tennis Academy in Mutare.
Together with a partner, he moved on to form an academy in the capital where they are imparting skills of the game to youngsters at their newly found base at Harare Sports Club. Even though he moved from Mutare, Nyamunokora has been going back to conduct training sessions at Mantas Tennis Academy for two days every month.
“Mantas Tennis Academy has been a part of me since way back. It is like a family to me and that is why I always find time to go back and have training sessions every month. However, given the status of the course that I am going to undertake in Spain, I will obviously have to use the knowledge that I gain to help the entire country as far as tennis coaching is concerned,” he said.
