Rebatenne carries nations’ hopes
Kabelo Boranabi | Saturday September 16, 2023 06:00
Rebatenne is amongst the continent’s best as she eyes qualification to the ITTF World Champions. She left on Wednesday without the supporting staff due to budgetary constraints as she carried the nation’s hopes at the competition that began on Monday and is to conclude on Sunday.
The Nhabe Table Tennis Club player will begin her adventure this afternoon with eyes set on becoming the first local to secure a berth in the global competition. She was the only local player to qualify for the continental series after an impressive performance World Table Tennis Contender Series played in January in Durban, South Africa. Speaking to Mmegi Sport from Tunisia on Thursday, Rebatenne admitted to having nerves ahead of taking to the table this afternoon. “It has been an incredible experience filled with hard work, determination, and growth.
It has been a journey of self-discovery and pushing my limits in the world of table tennis. Carrying the responsibility of being the sole representative for local table tennis at the African Championship does come with pressure but I see it as an opportunity to inspire and pave the way for future Diteemane talents,” she said. Rebatenne said her training focus has been on improving her overall game, which includes technique, game strategy, and physical fitness. “I also worked on mental strength and consistency because I would really need to be mentally focused as I am competing as a player as well as coaching myself. This is nothing new though and very common in table tennis because the coaches did their job at training so I just need to deliver and remember what we agreed on at training with my coach,” she said.
The 36-year-old targets nothing less than reaching the last eight in the competition. Rebatenne will begin the championships this afternoon at 4pm in the last 64-round. The draw for the singles was not yet concluded at press time.
The Botswana Table Tennis Association (BTTA) has thrown its weight behind Rebatenne with the hope of ending Botswana’s dry spell at the international level. “All our hope rests with Tshepiso. Our target is to reach the world championships and we are hopeful she will redeem us from the dry spell.
It is four years now without bringing any medals home and also without progressing to more international tournaments that expose our athletes to more experience. This is definitely our chance and we believe Tshepiso will perform looking at her level of play and experience on the international scene,” BTTA spokesperson, Tshegofatso Malepa said.