Athlete of the Week: Takanyi Garanganga
The Next Face of African Tennis: Takanyi Garanganga
2014 is the Breakthrough Year for Zimbabwean Takanyi Garanganga. Hailed as “The Next Face of African Tennis”, the 23-year-old is the third highest-ranked African on the ATP Tour.
As a junior Takanyi Garanganga reached a ranking high of 17th in the world, impressing in the French Open, US Open and Wimbledon. An impressive feat for a player without any grants or funding.
Since his junior days Garanganga has ticked every box a rising tennis player should as they make their way into the professional game, including jumping 200 places in the ATP rankings in one year. He’s now ranked 291.
Based in Atlanta, USA, the only element holding Garanganga back is the costs of being a professional, which right now are greater than the rewards.
Coming from a continent where tennis is a niche sport, his tennis sponsorship and funding opportunities have been limited, while in all other facets he’s performed. We talked with the Davis Cup player about his career to date, how he got into the game and the unique difficulties he faces.
“My first tennis playing experiences were at the ages of five and six years old, watching my father and brother playing in Zimbabwe and that’s how I got into tennis.”
“A typical training day starts with waking up at 5:45 am in preparation for a 7:30am – 9am sparing session.
“I take a break and come back on court for another 1 hour and 30 minutes session of playing live points, and then go for a high performance physical session for an hour and then 30 minutes of stretching.
“I get back home make a meal and a sometimes I take a meditation class depending on the day of the week.”
“As a full-time athlete the most difficult thing is consistency in your performance. It is key in the game of life. So that’s the most difficult part at the moment.”
“I enjoy the idea of working on becoming what I strive for. The ultimate goal comes from setbacks and overcoming them. Trying to find the balance of mental relaxation and focus. I enjoy using the universal laws of nature in relationship to my tennis situations, managing stress, the travel and competition itself.”
“I am willing to exude all my energy and time into tennis because it is what I have decided to pursue.”
2014 is Takanyi Garanganga’s Breakthrough Year and so far he’s travelled the globe from Hawaii to Mexico to London and Egypt in pursuit of his dream.
With five Futures titles under his belt, Garanganga’s targeting Challengers now to improve his ranking and further his career.
With massive tennis sponsorship potential, an unlikely career is unfolding in front of us; one with a very bright future. To become a part of Takanyi Garanganga’s journey visit his tennis sponsorship campaign here.