Namibia’s youth are being offered a chance of developing their interest and love for tennis through the Junior Tennis Initiative (JTI), which is being sponsored by the First National Bank (FNB). Bob Mould, President of the Namibian Tennis Association this week received an FNB sponsorship of N$164000.Dixon Norval, Head of Strategic Marketing at FNB said, “By supporting tennis development FNB is trying to contribute to a brighter future for the youth of Namibia.” He thanked Elizma Nortje and her JTI team, the parents and teachers who encourage tennis champions of tomorrow to stay focused and improve their skills.

Elizma Nortje, the JTI Coordinator, said this is the 11th year of the initiative and it has produced good professional players like Berney Olivier, Michal Muller and Paulina Shikongo who represent the country at international competitions.
She said the three are in the country's top 10 players and have competed in international junior competitions such as the Africa Zone 6 Championships. Nortje said the JTI works through schools to get learners as well as teachers involved, and thus ensure the possibility of the growth of the game.
She said the JTI is still busy with finalising this year's programme, and thus could not give specific dates of upcoming tennis events.
She said this programmes are send out to all schools to inform the teachers in advance of the planned upcoming events, dates and places. According to her, this is to make sure all are well informed and prepare in time, make sure the learners and teachers can attend the training courses, participate in tournament.
Nortje said the JTI is planning tournaments for the learners and coaching courses for teachers. She said the first International Tennis Federation (ITF) national coaching course for teachers will be on 16 February, and all interested are urged to submit their applications on time.
She said the JTI uses these tournaments to identify great tennis talent, players that can represent the country on international tournaments or even turn professional.
According to Nortje, the identified potential tennis players are entered to participate in national tournaments. She said this tennis development initiative is open to all interested.