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Tennis and apartheid: how a South African teenager was denied his dream of playing at Wimbledon

Tennis and apartheid: how a South African teenager was denied his dream of playing at Wimbledon

TODAY the All England Lawn Tennis Club, hosts of the famous Wimbledon Championships, pledges to be diverse and inclusive. But in 1971 an 18-year-old university student, Hoosen Bobat from Durban, was excluded from achieving his dream of becoming the first black South African to play in the Wimbledon men’s junior tournament. This was due to apartheid, and the collusion of the all-white tennis union in South Africa and the International Lawn Tennis Federation, with Wimbledon toeing the line. SALEEM BADAT, Research Professor, UFS History Department, University of the Free State I tell Bobat’s story in the new book Tennis, Apartheid…
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Tennis star is Tunisia’s ‘minister of happiness’

Tennis star is Tunisia’s ‘minister of happiness’

ONS Jabeur from Tunisia has become the first African and the first Arab woman tennis player since 1968 to reach a tennis grand slam singles final. She’s done so at the Wimbledon tennis tournament. Author MONIA LACHHEB, Professor of Sociology, Université de la Manouba The open or professional era in tennis started in 1968 and the grand slams are the world’s biggest tournaments – the US Open, the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon in the UK. Jabeur is also the highest-ranked African and Arab player in open-era history – currently second in the world. On court Jabeur is…
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Nadal pulls out of Wimbledon, Olympics

Nadal pulls out of Wimbledon, Olympics

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER RAFAEL Nadal, world number three and one of the greatest tennis champions in this generation, has withdrawn from the popular Grand Slam grass tournament, the Wimbledon and the Olympics games. Nadal, 35, the 20-time Grand Slam winner who won the Wimbledon title in 2008 and 2010, announced his shock withdrawal from the two events today, citing the need to look after his body and prolong his career. He said the decision was not easy but after listening to his body and holding a discussion with his team, the right decision was made. Nadal said: “The goal is…
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