Local tennis player set for Europe
Calistus Kolantsho | Wednesday May 22, 2019 16:13
Seetso has been invited by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and Confederation of African Tennis (CAT) to join the ITF/CAT 14 and under team that will participate in a series of European tournaments over two months.
Botswana Tennis Association (BTA) vice president, Oatsi Thipe said the Grand Slam Development Fund takes care of the costs of the project.
He said Seetso's selection did not come as a shock as the player has been working hard.
“He is on top of his game and the best Under-14 player on the continent. So now, he is reaching the pinnacle of his career. We expect him to go there and continue to grow and prove his worth,” Thipe said.
He said it is an opportunity for the private sector to come onboard and associate with Seetso because when he comes from Europe, he might have attracted sponsors from abroad.
“They should come forth and endorse him as their ambassador. We do not want a situation whereby they trip over each other when he returns trying to claim him. It would be late by then. It would be disappointing to see Seetso being an ambassador of a foreign company,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Under-14 boys’ team has qualified for the Africa Junior Championship (AJC) to be played in Algeria in June. The team comprises of Seetso, Mark Nawa and Arnold Bleskit. Thipe said the trio will play in Kenya this week before proceeding to
Zimbabwe for another championship to be played from June 5 to 15, which will be a dress rehearsal for the AJC. The AJC is the last tournament for Seetso in Africa before he travels to Europe. Seetso has been nominated for the 39th Botswana Sports Awards under the young sportsperson of the year award.