Amazingly, the historical development of tennis dates back several thousands of years. So, people who are involved in historical researches of this great sport claim to have found evidence of playing tennis in ancient Greece culture.The History of tennis game was developed from a 12th century French handball game called "Paume" (palm). In this game the ball was struck with the hand. After some time "Paume" game produced handball "Jeu de Paume" (game of the palm) and there were racquets. The game was first created by European monks for entertainment roles during ceremonial occasions. At first, the ball was hit with hands. Later, the leather glove came into existence. This leather glove was replaced with an adaptive handle for effective hitting and serving of the ball. That was the birth of the tennis racquet. This game of tennis forms an integral part of the Sunridge family's extra-mural activities. Tennis is an important way to help our learners to development into adults who will be able to handle all that life will present.
Andre Agassi's words compliment this sentiment, "Tennis uses the language of life. Advantage, service, fault, break, love -- the basic elements of tennis are those of everyday existence, because every match is a life in miniature."
Tennis is being coached throughout the year. The Engraved Tennis Academy assist our coaches. They are professional and the players benefit tremendously. We believe that working together is the only answer. Conjuncti Crescimus is the motto.
Players who show potential during the year are identified for individual and specialized training by members of the Engraved Tennis Academy. These players are part of the Colts and First Team Practice Groups. The other players are coached by teachers with the help of professional coaches. They form part of the Beginner Groups (Grade 1 to Grade 7). The coaching of the Beginner groups includes theory and practical sessions. Aspects like basic tennis terminology, basic tennis skills, hand-eye coordination, the different kinds of shots, services and scoring are included.
Sunridge is extremely proud of the fact that five of our players are rated in the Top 20 in South Africa.
To gain valuable experience, our players take part in different tournaments where they compete against the best players in the country.
The value of all training sessions and tournament participation can be emphasized by the words of Frank Giampaolo, "Spectacular performances are preceded by spectacular preparation."
We are privileged to practice and play matches on brand new tennis courts. Our tennis courts have been redone at the beginning of 2017 to provide our learners with top quality facilities.
"Sportmanship for us is when a player walks off the court and you really can't tell whether he won or lost, when he carries himself with pride either way." - Jim Courier