Tennis The Boss Rhonda Mohammed

Rhonda, of St Joseph is also the owner of Bosses Tennis Academy, Valsayn, which has been in existence for 17 years. It was born out of her passion for the sport and her inability to afford to give her daughter, Carlista all the professional tennis practice sessions she needed.

Rhonda, who at the time was self-taught, took it upon herself to practice with her daughter.

“Carlista did ballet and swimming prior, but stopped swimming because she was allergic to the chlorine. So, she eventually started tennis and was quite good at it. I could not afford to give her the extra sessions she needed, so for five days of the week I would play tennis with her,” Rhonda tells WMN.

Rhonda’s passion for tennis was fuelled after she graduated from Mount D’or Government Primary School where she played netball. “I never enjoyed team sports because I don’t like depending on other people. I preferred individual sports and then my brother was in UWI at the time and he would bring me to use the pool.

Passing the tennis court, I decided I was interested in the sport. I got a tennis racket and a ball and began to hit on the wall. That’s how I started tennis,” she says with a laugh.

When people saw her practicing with her daughter and the ten-year-old’s quick development in the sport, they asked Rhonda if she could do the same for their children. “That was when I realised I could do tennis as a business.” She took courses at the Tennis Association of Trinidad and Tobago (Tennis TT) and International Tennis Federation (ITF) and became a certified professional coach before starting her business.

“When I started, it took time, like any other business.

But then the Ministry of Sports and Tennis TT started a programme to introduce tennis into schools. The ITF co-ordinator for Trinidad and Tobago decided to put coaches in the schools to teach tennis during the physical education time and the Ministry of Sport gave the authorisation to do so. I was one of the coaches who started with this programme in the schools. From there the children who were more interested in the sport would branch off into different tennis academies and that is how I started getting more clients,” Rhonda recalls.

Bosses Tennis Academy has a total of 30 students between the ages of five and 18. There are also nine adults who play as a means of recreation. “Tennis is a social thing, you are able to meet and interact with people easily. They may even give you tips on how you play.” And regarding the physical and technical aspect of the sport, Rhonda says, “Some parents bring their children to join sports because they want them to lose weight, but I inform them that is not how children lose weight.

The child must have a proper diet and exercise. We need to break the misconception that when you join in a sport you are automatically going to lose weight. It takes discipline and determination.

“In tennis, it takes a child about nine months to understand the game - the ball has to go over the net and you need to get it before it bounces twice. It takes about another three to five years to develop their technique. It takes years, so discipline and dedication is needed.” As it regards local tennis and the opportunities that are available, Rhonda laments that there are a number of young people who only go so far with the sport because of one of the major challenges it faces - financing.

“There is a lot of exposure in tennis, but not many students are taking it to the next level, because they have to put out a lot financially for tennis. There are tournaments where Tennis TT would select persons and pay for them to go to the Under 12 Development Tournament, under the ITF. Other than that, you’ll get a trophy but your parents will have to pay for everything.

This brings up the topic of sponsorship, as most businesses locally would not sponsor one person, they would most likely sponsor teams and tennis is an individual sport.” But she encourages parents who see the potential in their children to develop in the sport to take their children to events outside of Trinidad and Tobago, like the Orange Bowl Tournaments and the Junior Championships in Miami, where players have a better chance of being scouted and offered a scholarship. There are also annual regional tournaments held in Barbados, St Lucia and Grenada and other islands. “Education is important and it goes hand in hand with sports, so venture out there, see the possibilities. UWI seems to be going in the direction of offering sports scholarships soon” In the meantime, she does what she can to help promote the sport. “I provide some of my exceptional students with stipends to assist with classes at Bosses Tennis Academy.” The academy offers classes on Saturdays and Sundays for children and adults, and will host a vacation tennis camp from July 10 to 28, from 8 am to 3 pm, at UWI tennis court.

Rhonda’s dream is for Bosses to have its own facility and to host tournaments. Her advice to parents is to get their children into a sport, any sport, as it will develop their minds and the way they think about life. And if they choose tennis, it comes with a bonus.

Remember, tennis is a social thing. It can also be used to network with other people, creating opportunities.” You can find Bosses Tennis Academy on Facebook.