After a nerve-wracking struggle to raise enough funds in time for his much-anticipated international tournament in Turkey, wheelchair-tennis player Ronewa Mudzanani finally managed to achieve his goal, and he is all set to go.
Ronewa (25) suffers from cerebral palsy. He was diagnosed with scoliosis, an abnormal lateral curving of the spine, which means that he is permanently wheelchair-bound. His wheelchair-tennis career started when he was in the ninth grade at Thohoyandou Technical High School and a teacher realised his potential. From there on, he just kept going at it.
The tennis star from the deep rural village of Vhurivhuri, outside Thohoyandou, was on cloud nine when his travel visa was approved on Monday. His flight leaves for Turkey this Friday (11 November), where he will participate in four tournaments before he returns on 2 December.
For Ronewa, this trip is a dream come true - a steppingstone towards building his tennis career. "It was tough preparing for these tournaments, because I was also busy raising funds in between, knocking on business people's doors in search of sponsorships, which proved to be unsuccessful. This trip was made possible by the people who donated funds into my account. I want to thank each and every one who contributed. Although the donations were not enough and I had to use my last money to enter these tournaments, my dream is finally coming true," he said.
He promised to do everything he could to make everyone who invested in his trip proud. "Going to Turkey is different from my last tournament in Italy in 2021. This time, I am going out there as an individual."
Ronewa has high hopes of one day participating in grand-slam tournaments, such as Wimbledon and the US Open. "Representing my country at the 2021 BNP Paribas World Team Cup in Italy, and winning the bronze medal is the highlight of my career so far. Thank you, Decathlon South Africa, for your support. Thank you, MAVU Sport Development, and The Back Clinic for always making sure that my health is in good condition," he said.