The recent move by Malak Macheng to the African Regional Training Centre (ARTC) in Tunisia has been hailed as a milestone achievement by the Botswana Tennis Association (BTA). The 13-year-old ace, who won back-to-back International Tennis Federation (ITF)/ Confederation of African Tennis (CAT) Under 14 girls singles titles in 2024 in Gaborone, has joined the ARTC on a prestigious scholarship initiative under the ITF. “This is obviously a great opportunity for Malak,” BTA vice president, Nonofo Othusitse said in an interview.
“We understand that the centre can only take 16 players, eight boys and eight girls, so to make the cut was not easy as admission was based on both ITF and CAT rankings.” He said during the duration of the one-year scholarship, Malak would be placed in a high-performance environment designed to bridge the gap between continental talent and international standards. During her stint at the Sousse-based facility, Malak would benefit from integrated sport science entailing all-around access to sports medicine services and professional expertise. She will also benefit from Comprehensive Development, which is a curriculum that balances elite training and high-level competition with off-court personal growth.
Furthermore, she will have academic rigour, which is a mandatory requirement to maintain an acceptable level of academic performance alongside her athletic commitments. Othusitse explained that BTA was looking to establish a centre in Botswana similar to the ARTC. “The BTA is currently in the process of setting up a National Training Centre (NTC) and we have made the necessary applications to the ITF,” he said.
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He noted that a local NTC would allow Botswana to provide a larger number of athletes with the same high-performance training, sports science and medical expertise that Malak would access in Tunisia. Malak’s mother, Bonnie Macheng who has accompanied her daughter for the transition, noted in an interview on Tuesday that the facilities were user-friendly and well-equipped for elite athletes.
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