TuksTennis is a premier tennis training centre situated on the sports grounds of the University of Pretoria. TuksTennis falls under the jurisdiction of TuksSport and works closely with the University of Pretoria’s high performance centre (hpc) and its sport science and medical units.
This combination provides the obvious solution for tennis players in South Africa, incorporating their synergies to produce South Africa`s future world champions.
The main focus of TuksTennis is to achieve this goal through a structured approach of:
• Full time high performance tennis coaching
• Scientific and medical performance management
• On site accommodation and tuition services
• International exposure through tours and tournaments
In addition to the above, the centre aims to focus on the following areas:
• Development of coaches on a national basis (qualification, specialised courses, degrees, conferences, etc.)
• Maintaining a professional administration and management system
• Player management
Players
At TuksTennis we aim to attact the best players around the world. Over the past ten years, many top juniors have come through the Tuks System. During the time SA World of Tennis and SA Performance Centre produced Wimbledon Junior Champion – Wesley Whitehouse and former SA Junior number 1 – Tarryn Terblanche, Gizella Schutte, Rikus de Villiers, Tegan Edwards, Justine Sutherland, Elze Potgieter, Damian Hume, Grant Ive and Nicolaas Scholtz to name a few.
Facilities
The high performance centre (hpc) offers the most conducive environment for players to reach their full potential under the guidance of a selection of experts. Sport Science services are available on the premises, providing players with physical testing and sports medicine facilities, mental and physical profiling, and technical and strategic video analysis to their playing styles.
Players have access to sports physicians, orthopaedic surgeons, physiotherapists, dentists, chiropractors, sports massage therapists and even a pharmacy.
The hpc offers full accommodation and catering, with 44 twin bedded air-conditioned rooms and 5 single rooms. The University of Pretoria has at its disposal 22 hard courts for coaching, 4 gymnasiums, a heated Olympic sized swimming pool and medical and learning centres.
TuksTennis offers a specialised learning centre with a state-of-the-art, computerised schooling system designed to suit the individual requirements of students by matching their cultural and academic needs.
Sustainable Feeder System
• Tuks implements a satellite/franchise system to develop and improve tennis on the ground level
• A coaching programme for schools – all levels and ages
• Coaches to implement this programme is provided
• The provision of standard coaching to all levels of players within the Tuks region at affordable prices
Philosophy
Systematic: Systematic athlete development (train to train, train to compete and train to win stages).
Holistic: Holistic athlete development (educational resources and support).
Scientific: Scientific athlete development (access to the latest sports science and medical research).
Director of Coaching : Kobus Botha
Kobus is the manager at TuksTennis. He has been involved in tennis coaching for more the 25 years, during which time he has been the coach to the South African Junior National Team, as well as the Senior National Team. Kobus was the Davis Cup Coach for RSA during 1992 and also the SA coach at the All Africa Games during 1995 and 1999 when several gold medals were won by the players. Kobus has a very successful track record in producing professional tennis players such as Marcos Ondruska, Grant Stafford, Neville Godwin, Kevin Ullyett, Robby Koenig and others.
Coaching Staff
Warno Smit: Warno is a TSA Level 1 coach. He has been coaching with TuksTennis since 2012. He was part of the coaching staff at the South African Lotto Project. He also coached the Mpumalanga Interprovincial Team.
Geredigeer deur: Vuyo Nxakala