Cape Winelands Sports Academy serves up new junior tennis stars | Western Cape Government

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Cape Winelands Sports Academy serves up new junior tennis stars

8 July 2019

After honing their skills at the Cape Winelands Sports Academy, two Western Cape teens have passed another milestone in their fledgling tennis careers.

Carl Roothman and Leigh van Zyl recently helped South Africa to respectable finishes at the recent Junior Davis Cup and Junior Fed Cup playoffs in Algeria in June.

Both competed in the under 16 categories at the tournaments, which can be thought of as qualifiers for the junior tennis world cups, and helped their teams finish fourth out of six. They competed against Tunisia, Morocco, Kenya, Egypt and hosts Algeria.

The Paarl-based Cape Winelands Sports Academy is an initiative of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS) and is one of seven sports academies in the Western Cape.

The other sport academies are:

  • the Overberg District Academy in Bredasdorp
  • the West Coast District Academy in Saldanha
  • the Eden District Academy in George
  • the Central Karoo Academy in Beaufort West
  • the Cape Metropolitan Academy in Cape Town
  • the Western Cape Sports Academy in Cape Town.

The Cape Winelands Sports Academy supported Carl and Leigh with high-performance training, physiological support, and nutrition.

Carl is currently ranked number one in the U16 boys’ category in South Africa and Leigh is ranked first in the U16 girls’ category.

Carl is also set to represent South Africa at the ITF Grand Slam in Zimbabwe, from 26 July 2019 to 16 August 2019.

The respective sports academies work closely with local sports federations in their districts to identify talented young sportspeople for induction into the programmes.

DCAS works to provide sport and recreation opportunities across the Western Cape, building better communities and better athletes, BETTER TOGETHER.

Media Enquiries: 

Dr Tania Colyn
Head of Communication Service
Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport
Tel: 021 483 9877 / 076 093 4913
E-mail: Tania.Colyn@westerncape.gov.za