Gamers on the ATP Challenger Tour typically carry impactful tales that go comparatively untold.
Such is the case with Belgian Zizou Bergs, who has been donating tennis tools to the African nation Burundi for eight years. A five-time Challenger Tour champion, the 23-year-old lately triumphed on the Tallahassee Challenger only a few weeks after his grandfather handed away. Bergs’ life off the court docket is a narrative inside itself.
Following an eye-opening journey to Burundi at age 15, the Belgian No. 2 rapidly developed a contact, Marcel Van der Haegen, within the East African nation and has since donated tennis garments and tools.
“I nonetheless have that challenge happening,” Bergs advised ATPTour.com. “We’re not at all times aware of it, however you’ve a lot and generally really feel like you’ve little. You develop up in an excellent tradition, in an excellent nation and also you assume all the pieces is kind of regular that you’ve all these garments, sneakers, racquets, you’ll be able to string everytime you need, get nice meals on the desk every single day. That isn’t widespread [there], it actually opened my eyes. They might play with my [stuff], even when it was like 5 sizes too massive, they’d nonetheless play with it. That actually touched me.”
Earlier this month, Burundi hosted an ITF Ladies’s 25K occasion. Bergs acquired phrase from a buddy on the match that whereas she was there, she seen a number of guys across the capital metropolis Bujumbura who have been sporting his garments and taking part in with the racquets he’s donated through the years.
“That was heartwarming that they are so grateful for that,” Bergs mentioned. “I positively have sufficient garments to maintain sending them yearly. At a sure level, Yonex [started] serving to us too. We’re positively grateful that Yonex can also be prepared to help me and the challenge I’ve, despite the fact that it is very small. It is essential to me that it isn’t solely taking, as a result of tennis has given me rather a lot. It is giving again and I actually like that on this challenge.”
This season has been bittersweet for Bergs. The primary two months of the yr, the Lommel native certified for the Australian Open and reached a career-high No. 112. Final week, Bergs triumphed on the Tallahassee Challenger, the place he didn’t drop a set en path to the title.
As he lifted the trophy in Florida, one individual was on his thoughts; his grandfather, who handed away only a month prior.
“It was very emotional really,” Bergs mentioned. “By no means skilled tears in my eyes after a win, however this one was slightly totally different as a result of my grandfather handed away just a few weeks in the past once I was in Miami. Ever since, I did not have the prospect to go house, so I needed to comply with his funeral from a distance. He was my greatest fan, he would textual content me after each match.
Zizou Bergs triumphs in Tallahassee, Florida. Credit score: Tallahassee Tennis Challenger
“Each match he would give me a complete evaluation of what occurred and provides me issues to work on. I actually hoped he would proceed doing that simply differently, and it positively occurred. He was current that week, I received that with him. It was very emotional and particular.”
Stuffed with ardour and emotion on court docket, Bergs chooses to recollect his grandfather by dwelling out core values he noticed in his life. As he adopted his grandfather’s funeral from a distinct continent, Bergs seen three ideas that constantly got here up when family members mirrored on his grandfather’s life.
“I bought to know him higher as I used to be getting older and was extra acutely aware about what was occurring,” Bergs mentioned. “Additionally the time he was sick, I bought to know him higher. The primary worth was positivity. He would at all times be constructive that there was one thing that will assist him, considering all the pieces was going to be okay. He wasn’t anxious in any respect, he was a contented man.
“The second was being combative, as a result of he was at all times able to battle. He was struggling for years together with his well being and for all the pieces that got here up, he could be able to battle and do something obligatory that was wanted.
“The third one was solution-oriented. He was at all times discovering options in his job, with the household, he wouldn’t be complaining. If one thing wasn’t working in my profession, I might go to his house with my mother and father and we might discuss it. He’d give you doable options. I felt like these core values may very well be actually good in tennis. They have been nice values to study from and stick to me sooner or later.”
Whereas Bergs will at all times bear in mind his grandfather, it’s protected to say that there are tennis gamers in Burundi who will at all times pay attention to the Belgian star.
from Tennis – ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/N3dx6aP
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