23 June 2014 | Tennis Queensland

 

-Courtesy Sunshine Coast Daily- 

He’s a respected coach and a powerful player.  Jamie Zafir is also deaf, but has hardly let that slow him down.

An accredited junior development coach at Maroochydore Tennis Club, Zafir helps eager young kids chase their dreams in the sport.

“I got into coaching because I love tennis very much and it’s always been a part of my life,” the 27-year-old said.

“I have a passion for teaching it to children, and to adults, to help them learn the game, and I like teaching them new techniques every time they jump on my court so they can take something back home to share with their family.

“Obviously, being deaf presents some challenges to becoming a coach (but) I am very lucky because when I was young I had very good coaches who were excellent role models for me.”

The club’s head coach and manager, Kent Mahoney, said Zafir had developed a strong relationship with the youngsters.

“It was hard for the kids to understand him initially (but) they have really connected with him now … they know they need to look him in the eye when they talk,” he said.

Although born with severe to profound deafness, Zafir can hear “quite well” with hearing aids but doesn’t wear them when playing.

“I have learnt to train and play without them (because) when I compete in international deaf tennis competitions overseas there is a rule where we are not allowed to wear hearing aids during play or we get disqualified,” he said.

“The reason for that is so that everyone has a fair match.”

The Australian representative is making an impact on the international stage, sitting at No.12 in the world deaf tennis rankings.

“I am proud of my achievement and I have worked very hand for that ranking,” he said.

“I hope to break into the top 10 by the end of next year.”

Mahoney lauded Zafir’s skills.

“You can tell a lot about the ball by the way it sounds coming off the racquet so it is very tough not being able to hear anything, but he is still a big ball striker.”

“He’s got big ground strokes, so when the ball is teed up to him he can really put it away.”

– STEELE TAYLOR

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