Young Seetso eyes inter'l courts
The country’s top ranked tennis player, Denzel Seetso emerged the champion of Potchefstroom J100 after beating Hugh Winter of Australia 6/1, 6/2 in the final of the just ended world tennis tour juniors tourney in South Africa over the weekend. Seetso is now ranked 183 in the ITF World Junior rankings as he is now among the elite players in the world.
The junior tennis sensation accomplished his best career move by climbing up the ITF junior rankings as well as achieving his sensational fourth world junior title. Seetso previously won J4 twice, J5 and now J100 which carries so much points that will get him closer to playing French open and Wimbledon juniors in summer this year. Last week he earned the most important points that can eventually usher him into the top 100 in the world rankings.
The 17-year-old dominated the competition that had attracted all qualifying juniors across the world. Team Botswana was represented by him and Mark Nawa who retired in the first round singles with an injury but later bounced back to reach the semifinals with Seetso in doubles.
The boys were under the care of Brighton Keteng. In an interview with this publication, Seetso said his main aim is to break into the top 100 in the world rankings so he can play grand slam tournaments. “I feel good about my results, where my tennis is and I feel like I have improved from last year and will keep working on improving my game together with my mental side as much as possible until I get where I want to be,” he said. Brighton Keteng, who was his coach at the J100 competition said that Seetso played five matches in a space of four days to emerge the winner stating that the boy’s biggest weapon was his mental state.
“Tennis is a mental sport, it has tactical, technical and physical aspects but the psychological part played a big role in all of the matches he played,' he said, emphasising that Seetso was motivated and focused more than his opponents. Botswana Tennis Association (BTA) president Oaitse Thipe said that he was proud of Seetso’s progress.
“Seetso is so far doing great and this was one of the most important junior tournament in the world that puts him in a better spot to qualify for bigger ITF junior competitions,” Thipe said. Meanwhile, Ntungamili Raguin and Martin Seetso will represent Botswana at the ITF/CAT African junior championship on hard courts for 14 and under (AJCHC) that will take place in Lome, Togo from 16th to 21st March 2023. Botswana will also be hosting the first two weeks of the six weeks’ international tennis tournaments beginning of April.