Gerrie Dippenaar Tennis Academy

🎾 ENERGY. ENTHUSIASM. ENJOYMENT.

12-year-old Dietmar Swart is a great example of something every coach loves to see — a young player who steps onto the court with enthusiasm, energy and a real love for the game.

As coaches, we feed off that energy! When a player enjoys what they’re doing, the intensity goes up, the effort goes up, and even the coach finds another gear. 💪🎾

To all the young players out there: tennis is a fast game. Play with high intensity, bring good energy to every session, compete for every ball — but most importantly, enjoy it and have fun!

Love the game, bring the energy, and improvement will follow.

Keep it going, Dietmar! 👏🔥🎾

☀️ PROTECT YOUR EYES! 🎾🕶️

As tennis coaches and players, we spend hours every day out in the sun. Looking after your body is part of the game — sunscreen, a good hat, plenty of hydration, and something we sometimes forget… our eyes.

Here in South Africa, the sun can be extremely harsh, especially with the glare reflecting off our hard courts. Protecting your eyes from harmful UV rays is incredibly important, not only for comfort today but for your long-term eye health.

For me, there’s only one answer — JONDO sunglasses. 🕶️

I absolutely love my Jondos. They’re comfortable, easy on the eyes and make a massive difference when you’re spending hours on court.

Look after your eyes today — you’ll thank yourself in the years to come. 👀☀️

🎾 Play hard.
☀️ Protect yourself.
🕶️ Wear JONDO.

🇳🇦 WORLD GROUP 2 — HERE WE COME! 🎾🏆

What a way to finish our Davis Cup Africa Group III campaign in Bujumbura, Burundi! Namibia defeated Benin 3–0 on the final day to secure our place in Davis Cup World Group II for 2027. 🇳🇦💪

This marks our third consecutive year qualifying for World Group II, and I could not be prouder of this team:

🎾 Connor van Schalkwyk
🎾 Cody van Schalkwyk
🎾 Steyn Dippenaar
🎾 Daniel Jauss

These boys represented Namibia with pride, commitment and fighting spirit throughout the week. They have done their country proud. 🇳🇦

Another Davis Cup campaign, another qualification — and now we look forward to representing Namibia once again on the World Group II stage!

Proud to be Namibian. Proud of this team. 🇳🇦🎾

🇳🇦 ONE MORE STEP! 🎾💪

Another good day for the Namibian Davis Cup team here at Africa Group III in Bujumbura, Burundi, with a victory over Togo! 🇳🇦

Tomorrow is the big one. A win against Benin will see Namibia qualify for World Group II for the third consecutive year. Let’s go Namibia! 🇳🇦🔥

We also had a special little Davis Cup moment today. ❤️🎾

This young tennis enthusiast from Bujumbura told us that our No. 1 player, Connor van Schalkwyk, reminds him of Alexander Zverev. But he was also very quick to make one thing clear — he is a Jannik Sinner supporter! 😂🎾

It just shows the incredible impact the world’s top players have on young kids, even thousands of kilometres away here in Burundi.

This is why tournaments like Davis Cup are so important. These youngsters get to see international tennis up close, meet players representing their countries and, hopefully, start dreaming about one day wearing their own country’s colours in Davis Cup.

Keep watching, keep playing and keep dreaming, young man!

🇳🇦 NAMIBIA BOUNCES BACK! 🎾🔥

Davis Cup Africa Group III here in Burundi 🇧🇮 has already produced some serious battles!

🇳🇦 Namibia 2–1 Côte d’Ivoire 🇨🇮
🇧🇮 Burundi 2–1 Namibia 🇳🇦
🇳🇦 Namibia 2–1 Senegal 🇸🇳

Yesterday we had to bounce back against a very strong Senegalese team — and the boys delivered! 💪 Namibia is right back in the running. 🇳🇦🔥

A few clips from yesterday’s action… and here’s one I particularly enjoyed.

We all know the body serve — but how about the BODY RETURN? 😳🎾

Great example of Steyn Dippenaar stepping into the return and drilling it straight through the man at the net! 💥

👀 Keep your eye on the ball… can you actually see it? Let us know!

🇳🇦 DAVIS CUP – AFRICA GROUP III | BURUNDI 🎾

Our Davis Cup campaign continues here in Burundi!

Yesterday, Namibia defeated Côte d’Ivoire 2–1 in a great team effort. 🇳🇦💪

Today we faced the home nation, Burundi, and after another tough battle, we went down 2–1. It all came down to the deciding doubles, which went the full three sets. So close, but that’s Davis Cup — every point counts! 🎾🔥

One thing is for sure though… we might just be the nation with the BEST WAR CRY! 🇳🇦😂🔥

Turn up the volume and tell us what you think! 👇

GO NAMIBIA! 🇳🇦🇳🇦🇳🇦

🇳🇦 DAVIS CUP – AFRICA GROUP III | BURUNDI 🎾🌍

The stage is set here in Bujumbura for the 2026 Davis Cup Africa Group III! 💪🎾

Six nations will battle it out this week:
🇳🇦 Namibia
🇧🇮 Burundi
🇧🇯 Benin
🇨🇮 Côte d’Ivoire
🇸🇳 Senegal
🇹🇬 Togo

The Namibian team is ready for the challenge ahead, and our campaign starts tomorrow against Côte d’Ivoire. 🇳🇦🔥

The preparation is done — now it’s time to compete, fight for every point and represent Namibia with pride!

All the very best to our boys for the week ahead. Let’s go Namibia! 🇳🇦🎾💪

At the GDTA, the journey doesn’t end when a player graduates from school—it simply enters a new chapter.

Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of working with so many dedicated young players, helping them grow on and off the court. For many, the next step is college tennis in the United States, where they continue chasing their dreams while earning a world-class education.

Last year, Tiaan Nelson started that journey. He’s back in South Africa for the summer holidays and training with us again. Soon, Rynhard van der Laan will begin his own adventure in the USA.

One thing every GDTA player knows is that once you’re part of this family, you’ll always have a place here. Our doors are always open, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see former players return—not only to sharpen their own games, but to inspire and guide the next generation by sharing their experiences.

Tiaan and Rynard, thank you for setting such a great example. We are proud of both of you and wish you every success as you continue your journeys. Keep working hard, enjoy every moment, and make the most of every opportunity that comes your way.

The next generation is watching, learning, and dreaming because of players like you.

Butts up time again! 🎾😄

Around here, the guys don’t play for money or pizza… they play for pride when it’s butts up on the line! It’s amazing how accurate everyone suddenly becomes when there’s a little extra motivation.

Tonight, young Charl Meyer decided to challenge one of the academy’s senior players, Tiaan Nelson. Well… the rest is history! 😅

Sometimes confidence is a good thing… but it’s also wise to think twice before challenging the big guns.

Well played, gentlemen. Looking forward to the next challenge!

Some journeys remind us why we coach.

When I first met Gerhard Gruindelingh, he was just an ordinary young boy with an ordinary tennis game. But what stood out wasn’t his tennis—it was his character. I also realized that he was facing incredibly difficult circumstances and needed someone to believe in him.

After speaking to his grandmother, our journey together began.

From day one, Gerhard ( Gerry ) embraced the dream. He worked hard, stayed humble, listened, and set an example both on and off the court. Step by step, he transformed himself from an ordinary junior player into one of South Africa’s top tennis players.

His dedication earned him a Division I scholarship to the University of South Alabama—an achievement that changed his life.

Today, he is the women assistant coach at the University of Alabama, and I couldn’t be prouder.

Gerry, your journey has never just been about tennis. It has been about resilience, character, perseverance, and making the most of every opportunity. Seeing you happily married, raising two beautiful children, and building a career around the game you love is incredibly rewarding.

As a coach, there are few greater rewards than seeing a player grow into a wonderful husband, father, and mentor to others.

I salute you, my friend. Thank you for allowing me to be part of your journey. Keep dreaming, keep inspiring, and keep making a difference. Your best chapters are still ahead of you.