The International Tennis Federation and Oceania Tennis Federation appointed Reuel Lavaka as the Tour Coach for the Pacific Oceania U12 and U14 Teams Tour held in Australia in January.
Reuel said that he was the first Tongan to serve as a coach for an ITF Team Tour within the GSPDP framework.
“To represent Tonga in an ITF team environment is an honour, and my goal is to bring back valuable experience that will directly benefit our young players and the wider tennis community.”
Reuel said that this appointment is not just a personal opportunity, but a reflection of the progress Tonga Tennis is making in coach development and high-performance pathways.
“Our coach capacity is growing and we are looking at providing further opportunities for athletes, coaches and officials.”
The tour was held under the Grand Slam Player Development Programme in Australia this month.
The Pacific Oceania tour brings together the region’s leading junior players and coaches and is an important pathway within international junior tennis development.
The opportunity provides valuable exposure to elite junior competition environments, international coaching standards, and collaboration with coaches and performance staff from across the Pacific region.
He said the experience and knowledge gained from the tour will be applied to the ongoing development of junior and high-performance tennis programmes in Tonga.
