Talk with your racquet, play with your heart

Joanivia Bezuidenhout is one of the best junior female tennis players in Namibia. At the tender age of 14, she was one of four players to represent Namibia at the Billie Jean King Cup Africa Group 3 tournament in Kenya, which took place from 12 to 17 June.

Born in Namibia's garden town Okahandja, Bezuidenhout’s love for tennis started at the age of nine on the cracked municipal courts of her hometown.

She enjoyed it so much that she gave up netball and athletics, two other sports in which she flourished.

Kallie Heese, tennis coach at Kallie Tennis School, noticed her fire and drive and chose to mentor and coach her.

Off the court, you will meet an innocent, sweet and shy girl who prefers to move in the dim lighting, while on the court, Bezuidenhout is a tenacious lion that demands respect.

One of this soon-to-be star's best qualities is that she is never too good to hit balls with anyone. Bezuidenhout is an inspiration in her community; many children look up to her, and today, close to 50 children aged six and up play tennis as a result of her drive.

Meanwhile, she has been an A student since grade one, and she is determined to continue her academic success.

Bezuidenhout said does not want to be the greatest in Namibia; she does want to be the best in the world. She added that she is grateful for the Frank Fredericks Foundation's constant support. The close-knit tennis community, particularly her best friend and foe Mari van Schalkwyk, also play an important role in her life.



Accomplishments

Bezuidenhout has become one of the country's top juniors, earning multiple gold medals as well as winning the masters, an elite tournament, two years in a row. She has represented Namibia in numerous International Tennis Federation (ITF) regional and continental competitions from under 12 to under 14.

At the age of 13, she competed in her first ITF world under-18 junior tour event, and she now boasts a couple of wins in this important event, defeating Belgium along the road.

She was part of a four-person squad to compete in the Billie Jean King Cup competition in Kenya. She represented Namibia alongside Leandre Louw, Lisa Yssel and captain Linique Theron. In terms of the number of nations competing, the Billie Jean King Cup is the world's largest annual women's international team sports championship.

“The team performed impressively, winning five matches and earning two ties. They finished ninth out of 12 countries, a great achievement given that we had the two youngest athletes Joanivia (14) and Louw (15),” Theron said.

Bezuidenhout added: “I really enjoyed the experience in Kenya. Playing was really fun as well as challenging. I learnt a lot from playing against other teams who are different ages and have more experience. I am proud to represent Namibia and hope to continue making my country proud".