Tennis in Korça, coach Ervin Rota brings back the beautiful sport for the city of Korçë

2024-03-16 22:33:00, Qyteti im CNA

Coach Ervin Rota

The city of Korça has a long history in terms of sports, and it is not only known for football, but in recent years it has also expanded into other sports, such as tennis.

This sport has existed in Korça since before the 1940s, with foreigners and also women as protagonists, which was considered taboo at that time. First, coach Ervin Rota tells CNA Tv a bit of the history of this sport.

"The sport of tennis in our city existed before the 40s. At first it was played by foreigners who were in Korça, there were also women who played this sport, for the time it was a very big thing. Tennis was two cities, Shkodra and Korça, and then also Tirana, which had the biggest club because of the embassies there. All the foreigners who were present in Korça started playing tennis, and it remained a tradition. Then, in during communism it was stopped, because it was called a bourgeois sport, and it was reopened later when a tennis court was built here in our city."

Tennis in Korça, coach Ervin Rota brings back the beautiful sport for the

Ervini is exactly the coach who has brought back the special sport of tennis in Korça, opening another door to the city and its residents. Ervin Rota has been involved in athletics and skiing for many years, but his dream of tennis didn't stop there, as he finally has "Tennis Korça", the only tennis club in the city.

"This is a sport that I have enjoyed since I was a child. I have been involved in other sports, athletics and skiing, but tennis has been my dream. When I finished my higher studies, I returned to my city and fortunately it was made a court at the Raqi Qirinxhi school, and in Korça there were enthusiasts who were the initiators who made the court as well. They also started playing the game of tennis. I came back, I conducted various trainings and courses inside and outside the country, and I said "Why not, and let's revive this sport in the city."

It seems that children are the ones who have embraced the sport of tennis the most, but not only. There are also adults over the age of 50 who find themselves in this sport. Ervini shows that every year this club is growing in terms of the number of members, but also achievements. If you take the racket in your hand once, you can't part with it - says the coach.

Tennis in Korça, coach Ervin Rota brings back the beautiful sport for the

"It was very well received by the children and adults, we can see it from the number of people playing. From year to year we are growing, thanks to the fields that have been made, they are among the best in Albania. We will definitely need a covered field so that this number remains in winter as well as in summer.

Tennis knows no age, from the age of 5 to the age of 100 you can play tennis. We have had a number of about 130 children that has reached its peak, but we do not leave without mentioning the adults who are playing, over 50 years old. They enjoy it, when you touch the racket you fall in love with this sport. There are many who have had the trouble of watching it on television, but when they grab the racket and become part of tennis, they don't back down. They understand that this sport puts all the muscles of the body in motion, and they feel good every day."

The purpose of returning this sport to Korça is not only to have as many participants as possible. One of the objectives is to have elite athletes as well, which has currently happened in the "Tennis Korça" club.

Tennis in Korça, coach Ervin Rota brings back the beautiful sport for the

"We started this sport to raise as many people as possible to play this sport. We started to have many elite athletes, currently we have a national champion in our club, plus many children who are with the national team and we represent the city and the country outside it. We are on the rise, and I mean we can be one of the clubs with the most people in Albania, despite the fact that Tirana has a large population, as well as Durrës, Shkodra, but we are one of the clubs with more members."

The coach's appeal to young people who do not seem to have the right focus on sports cannot be missed. According to Ervin, tennis is a technical sport that is not so simple but not impossible at all. You only get good things from sport - he says - so everyone should get close to it.

Tennis in Korça, coach Ervin Rota brings back the beautiful sport for the

"Tennis is a technical sport, it is not very easy to grasp the technique, but it is not an impossible sport. Here all ages manage to grasp it as a sport. I call that they should definitely try it and take up more sports. Leave away from the vices, away from the bars, away from the phones. Because we noticed that when the kids come here, they have a 3-4 schedule, but they don't leave until the dinner practice closes. So get closer to sports, the more we do sports, the healthier we are. Society is ideal in sports, so you only get good things from sports."

Tennis is one of the sports that should be given more promotion, as it remains a very special sport, and there are quite a few enthusiasts for it. Korça doesn't just have football, it doesn't just have volleyball or basketball, it also has tennis, which may seem like a simple sport but is considered a difficult technique. And why not try yourself in tennis? You have the opportunity, in "Tennis Korça" with professional coaches like Ervin Rota, and training to become an elite athlete tomorrow./ CNA TV