High-Performance tennis training commences

The high-Performance tennis training programme commenced at the SLTA. (Pic by Kamal Wanniarachchi)

The first-ever High-Performance Training program for high ranking Tennis players initiated by the Sri Lanka Tennis Association in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports, officially commenced on July 2 at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA) premises, adhering all Covid-19 safety and health guidelines.

President of the SLTA, Iqbal Bin Issack, General Secretary of the SLTA, Pradeep Goonasekera, Chairman – Coaching and Promotion of the SLTA, Rukmal Cooray, Honorary Secretary of the National Sports Council, Thiyumi Abeysinghe and members of the National Sports Council and the National Selection Committee graced the occasion, along with the trainers and the players of the National Tennis Squad.

After long months of preparation and planning, 21 players were selected according to the criteria, in under 16, under 18, men’s and women’s categories. Under this initiative all players will be sent to a minimum of six International tournaments per year. The program will be headed by Renouk Wijemanne, Sylvester Francis and Ashan Dep as the official Tennis coaches, and Bilal Yusuf as the strength and conditioning coach.