BALI, Indonesia – Following the success of the clinics and masterclasses in Jakarta over the last few years, the WTA Future Stars extended its outreach in Indonesia to Bali, together with hometown hero and former WTA Top 20 player Yayuk Basuki.
Basuki introduced 50 children aged 10-12 years from the Tat Twam Asi Social Foundation to tennis for the first time in a series of fun basic activities and drills.
With six WTA singles titles and nine doubles titles, local role model Basuki - who will be returning as a WTA Finals Legend Ambassador in Singapore this October - shared her experience with the next generation.
“I have been working with the WTA Future Stars initiative for a few years now, and I am very glad to be able to expand our reach in Indonesia,” Basuki said. “It is our first WTA Future Stars clinic here in Bali, and it is wonderful to be able to introduce tennis to these children and for me to also share my experience with the sport. Hopefully the experience today will motivate them and give them hope for a better future through tennis.”
The Tat Twam Asi Social Foundation was established in 1987 to accommodate school-aged children, especially daughters from poor or orphaned families, and provide them with opportunities to receive a formal elementary to high school education. The foundation has an orphanage in Bali that has accommodated more than 900 people since its establishment in 1987 and has successfully channelled foster children to find employment.
“The WTA is very proud of the work we have done in Asia-Pacific over the last four years since the WTA Finals has been hosted in Singapore,” said Melissa Pine, Vice President of WTA Asia-Pacific and Tournament Director of the WTA Finals. “The WTA Future Stars was launched when our crown jewel event moved to Asia-Pacific for the first time in 2014, and as part of this initiative, the WTA has conducted clinics and master classes in China, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore with the hope of encouraging the next generation to live a better life through sport.
“Together with our WTA legends like Yayuk Basuki, the WTA Future Stars outreach aims to inspire more young boys and girls to pick up a racquet and recognize how sport is a powerful tool to develop life skills which will benefit them in future.”
Ketut Dwi Angraeni, a manager from the Tat Twam Asi Social Foundation, added, “I am sure that today is a very special day for the children, to be able to learn the basics of tennis from the very best of our country. Their experience today with Yayuk Basuki and the WTA will be unforgettable, and I believe that it will serve as a good motivation for them to explore opportunities to improve their lives through the sport.”
The WTA Future Stars Clinic is part of a regional platform to promote tennis among children throughout Asia-Pacific, and includes the WTA Future Stars Tournament where each country sends two representatives to compete in the U14 and U16 categories respectively.
Launched in 2014 when the WTA Finals was first hosted in Singapore, the WTA Future Stars tournament started with 12 countries, and in 2018 will bring together players from 21 markets in the Asia-Pacific region.
