Abigayel Vosloo is living proof that persevering through difficult times creates a stronger person on the other side, writes Mark Lemke in Windhoek. The 17-year-old began playing tennis at age six, with her biggest motivator being her dad.
He supported her journey from the beginning, all the way through to her reaching the level of playing in junior professional tournaments. Last year, her father passed away tragically, leaving behind a void that cannot be filled. Vosloo has carried that grief with her and plays tennis motivated by the love she shared with him.
The South African is seeded second at the Region 5 Youth Games and is motivated to win gold in his honour. “I cannot describe what it was like to lose my dad. I had to take a break from tennis because it was too painful not having him courtside, but I knew that he would want me to keep going and I use that thought as my motivation to keep working towards my dream.
“It still hurts, and it is something that will never go away, but it has made me a stronger person in tennis and in life. I have become a lot more independent and now when I face difficult moments in my personal life or on the court, I think to myself that I have been through worse and I will be okay.”
Vosloo’s willpower to push through the tough times has transcended into her tennis. She was raised in Uitenhage, outside Gqeberha, but made the decision to leave home and join international tennis academy EBQ in Potchefstroom.
“I don’t see my mother that much anymore because I have been going away to live and train with my coach for four months at a time since I was 14. It is tough to be away from home, but it is a sacrifice that I had to make for my tennis. It is my greatest passion and I dream of stepping onto the Wimbledon grass one day.”
Vosloo is enrolled in an online school to make her training calendar possible. Her favourite subject is maths, which she is excelling in with a 90% year average. “It is not easy to balance school and tennis, but I am doing well in creating a good balance between the two.”
Her sacrifices and hardships have not been in vain. The serving specialist has entered the professional tennis world and recently left the Billie Jean King Cup in the second week to represent Team SA in Namibia.
Outside of tennis, she finds joy in going to the gym and spending time with friends, however, her favourite hobby is playing Fortnite and Call Of duty on her Xbox.
Vosloo has faced incredible adversity, but she has emerged from the storm with the perspective that no challenge is too much for her to handle. Her Region 5 campaign had just begun when her first match was suspended due to poor lighting. She is confident she can get the job done and push on with the aim of winning gold. After that, she will be back in training and will not let anything stop her from actualising her dream of being a senior player at Wimbledon.
Photo: Frennie Shivambu
