Maccabi boys tennis team trains for tough competition

The under-16 South African Maccabi boys tennis team has been training hard to ensure that it can go toe-to-toe with tough competition at the 2024 European Maccabi Youth Games in London, which started on 30 July.

The team, comprising captain Jayden Myers, a home-school student, and King David Linksfield Grade 9 pupils Dean Herskovits, Luke Mostert, and Zackary Katz, has been preparing for months, attending individual coaching sessions and practising with doubles partners.

In the final event before their departure to London, they were put through their paces in the inaugural Challenge Cup between Maccabi South Africa and one of the country’s top tennis academies, VHS Academy.

Myers won in what was to be the match of the day. Top tennis playing and rallies were showcased in his three-set match against Neil van der Walt. Myers says his mental toughness helped him come out trumps in the super tie-breaker.

“Neil is a tough competitor, and we have had many close matches before,” Myers says. “I knew I had to bring a big game to the court in order to compete. In the end, the game plan was to rally long, wear him out slowly, and take opportunities when I had them, which I’m glad I was able to do.”

The Maccabi team got confidence from Myers’ win, and almost won the doubles afterwards.

Herskovits and Katz fought well in their matches. So, too, did Mostert, who almost won the second set of his match against a Tennis South Africa junior circuit tournament player after suffering a 6-1 defeat in the first set.

Mostert took a while to settle into the match and find his rhythm. The wind made his struggles more challenging. In the second set, he played good tennis and used the wind to his advantage by switching from flat serves to sliced serves, making it harder to return.

The matches enabled the players to get a little bit of preparation in and further team camaraderie, says the academy’s founder, Louis Van Huyssteen, the head tennis coach at King David Sandton for more than 20 years, who has coached three of the boys representing the Maccabi team.

He says they have a realistic chance of winning medals at the Games. They will compete in the singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, in which they pair up with partners from other countries.

Herskovits is thrilled to be representing South Africa, and is excited to be attending with many of his peers from King David Linksfield, who are competing across tennis and soccer.

“I have heard from peers in my school tennis team that the standard is high, especially from the United States, which has probably specialised in tennis and competes frequently,” he says. “We’ll do our best, of course, but the Games will include incredible experiences outside of the competition, especially in meeting others from around the world and building lifelong memories.”

They will be playing on astroturf, Katz says, and although he has never played on this kind of surface, he plans to manage his nerves and bring his best game.

Katz can rely on his experience of moving up the tennis ranks to join a stronger squad. “Leading up to the training session, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to hold my own and would feel out of my depth,” he recalls, “but when I left there that day, I felt proud of my skills and mental stamina to stay in the game and prove myself.”

Katz, who loves being on the court, has been preparing for the Games by doubling his training time on court, doing both squad and individual sessions, entering more local tournaments, and practising with his doubles partner.

While Katz has been playing tennis since the age of five, Mostert swam and played soccer but eventually found his passion for tennis three years ago. He feels proud to represent South Africa and the country’s Jewry at the Games.

“Luke’s connection to the faith is special as we are converts,” his mom, Joanne, says. She’s finding out more about her family’s roots, which seem to stem from Persia before spreading to India and then South Africa.

The firstborn of six sons, “Luke is a great inspiration to his younger siblings who are besotted with him,” Joanne says. “He’s also part of Bnei Akiva and goes on all its camps and Shabbatons. He’s really into our religion. We feel very privileged to be part of South African Jewry.”

Myers, who made the finals of the recent Norval Rustenburg tournament, has high hopes for the games: “I want to show the rest of the world that I have come to compete and how seriously I take my tennis career.”

Herskovits, meanwhile, is excited to continue the legacy of his uncle, now based in Sydney, who competed in Maccabi soccer many years ago. “My late grandfather was also a provincial swimmer and cyclist. I know my Maccabi participation would have made him proud,” says Herskovits, who participates in a variety of sport, with tennis being the first sport he played, captaining his primary school tennis team.