By EDITOR
“My dream is to drop out of school!” So says 12-year-old Rafael (Rafa) Palmer, an enthusiastic tennis player whose success on the court makes a professional tennis career very enticing. Which is why he’d consider quitting school – and rather going off to Roland-Garros and a Grand Slam title!
Rafa, who is at Herzlia Weizmann Primary School, recently made it into the Western Province under-13 tennis team. And, with 90% of his Western Province teammates speaking Afrikaans, Rafa expects a great improvement in his Afrikaans marks at school!
“My dad introduced me to the game,” Rafa explains, saying that he immediately fell in love with the sport. He’s since gone on to many impressive achievements, including winning two tournaments on one day, acquiring provincial colours, and coming second in the Synergy Cup, a local event that pits an A team of eight players against a B team of eight players.
These achievements come on the tail of a great deal of hard work and practice. In addition to playing for his school, Rafa plays twice a week at Pinelands Tennis Club and three times a week with his coach and father in Fresnaye – and that adds up to many, many hours of practice every week. He also participates in water polo and swimming, and so his days are filled with sporting activities.
Rafa would love to have the chance to play against his idol, Carlos Alcaraz, the Spanish professional player who recently won his second Wimbledon Men’s title at the tender age of just 21. Go for it, Rafa! We’ll be rooting for you when you take on Alcaraz!
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