Tennis |14 September 2023

The Roche Caïman tennis courts will soon get a new surface

Groundwork set to begin on September 23

Finally, after much waiting, resurfacing work on the Roche Caïman tennis courts will begin on Saturday September 23, with grinding work which will be carried out by local firm Green Island Construction Company (GICC), before Türkiye-based, Mekra Tennis Ltd proceeds with the resurfacing work.

The project costing US $136,250 has been jointly sponsored by the Seychelles government and the International Tennis Federation (ITF).

The contract agreement for the renovation work was signed late last December by former chief executive the National Sports Council (NSC) Jean Larue on behalf of the government and Mehmet Saltik on behalf of Mekra Tennis Ltd.

Speaking to Sports NATION, chairperson of the Seychelles Tennis Association (STA) Fatime Kanté explained that there has been a slight delay in the renovation work which was scheduled to begin earlier this year due to some administrative issues.

She said after everything was sorted out, GICC carried out a pre-testing work on one of the courts to identify the right techniques and tools to carry out the job.

She said, based on the pre-test, it will take approximately three days to fully complete grinding work on one of the five courts, with a brief estimation of two weeks – 15 days – for the work to be completed, before the resurfacing can begin.

Miss Kanté added that all the raw materials for the resurfacing are already in the country, and meanwhile, the courts are opened for members since yesterday.

However, they will be closed as from September 22, to allow the resurfacing work to begin.

In the meantime, Miss Kanté is requesting the cooperation of all members in adhering to the rules and guidelines set forth by the authorities, adding that, observance of these rules is essential in maintaining a safe and enjoyable environment for everyone.

As for sitting arrangements at the courts, Miss Kanté explained that they are not part of the resurfacing project, but noted that there are local firms and individuals who have already shown interests in contributing towards such facility.

Roland Duval