WTA Legend Yayuk Basuki plays Masak Masak with budding tennis players in Singapore

WTA Legend Yayuk Basuki plays Masak Masak with budding tennis players in Singapore

Some 20 youth from Love Singapore – a SportCares’ all-girls tennis programme, and ActiveSG Tennis Academy’s mini tennis programme enjoyed an afternoon with Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Legend – Yayuk Basuki. Organised by SportCares Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Sport Singapore, the youth were accompanied by two local WTA Future Stars representatives where they engaged in a healthy cooking workshop with the WTA Legend.

Yayuk was ranked among the WTA top 20 in singles and top 10 in doubles, making her the top female tennis player from Indonesia. The former competitive tennis star was in town for the session with the youth ─ to inspire young players to pursue their passion in the sport. Participants also had the unique opportunity to interact with Yayuk, as she shared about her motivational journey to become one of the top tennis players in the world and how she never gave up despite challenges that came along the way.

Says WTA Legend, Yayuk Basuki, “There is such strong interest in tennis amongst all age groups in Singapore. From the SC Global Tennis For Every Child programme, to the SportCares’ Love Singapore tennis programme today, I’ve seen kids really get into the true spirit of the sport. This is a very exciting time for tennis in Singapore, and with the WTA Finals in just over a month’s time, we are going to see some amazing tennis from the world's best players right here. I hope that this enthusiasm for tennis enables more aspiring tennis players to follow their dreams."

Nurturing a Spirit of Determination and Endurance

Led by the nutritionists from the Singapore Sports Institute, participants were paired up with a WTA Future Stars player at workstations as they learnt about nutrition and healthy cooking.

Participants crushed peanuts mixed in flour and other ingredients, to create healthy versions of “Muah Chee” and “Nut and Muesli Balls”, giving the Indonesian tennis star a taste of our local flavours.

11-year old Ira Nurshaqira Natrisha Binte Salleh, a participant under SportCares’ Love Singapore tennis programme who was paired with Yayuk at the cooking workshop shared, “It was such an honour to not only meet with Yayuk Basuki, but to also cook with her! I have always looked up to her as a tennis player, and it was encouraging to hear her share her stories with us today.”

Besides getting autographs from the tennis stars, participants also got to take photos with her.

Laura Reid, Deputy Director of SportCares Foundation said, “As young sportswomen, youth need role model athletes that they can look up to. Today’s session with the WTA was to remind our youth that a holistic approach is the key factor to success in everything that matters. Masak-Masak with Yayuk reinforces the message that hard work and grit needs to be backed up by healthy living.”

Vice-President of WTA Asia-Pacific and Tournament Director of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, Melissa Pine, said, “We are pleased to have Yayuk Basuki and the WTA Future Stars spend time today with the young girls from SportCares’ Love Singapore tennis Programme and youth from ActiveSG Tennis Academy mini tennis programme, as part of the lead-up to the WTA Finals here next month. Yayuk is an outstanding role model with all her achievements as one of the top Asian WTA players of all time. I hope today’s session has inspired the girls to continue to keep a great attitude and pursue their passion for tennis.”

In partnership with the WTA and SC Global’s Tennis For Every Child initiative, Yayuk also led an engaging tennis clinic yesterday with 36 primary school students from Damai Primary School, Fengshan Primary School, MINDS Towner Gardens, Tampines North Primary School and Woodlands Primary School. The clinic was conducted in the run up to the 2016 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global which will be held October 23-30.

About SportCares Foundation
The SportCares Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Sport Singapore and a growing national movement to use sport for social good. SportCares Foundation was set up in late 2012 to help people live better lives through sport. From underprivileged children to people of all ages with disabilities to enthusiastic volunteers to needy seniors to generous donors, sport can be a channel to empower people to live better. Designed to use sport as a force for social good, SportCares will work with other concerned agencies to develop and support sustainable, scalable programming to engage the vulnerable segments of our society. SportCares is a key recommendation of Sport Singapore’s (SportSG) Vision 2030: Live Better through Sport master plan.

About ActiveSG
As a key recommendation of Vision 2030 – Singapore’s master plan for sports, ActiveSG was launched in April 2014 as the national movement for sport and physical activities. ActiveSG aims to create a sporting ecosystem that provides innovative and experiential sport related programmes at sports centres island-wide. This movement will act as an enabler to build a community for individuals, families and organisations from different zones where Singaporeans can come together to learn, train, compete and host a range of sports. Working together with communities, National Sports Associations (NSAs), schools, corporations, public agencies and interest groups, ActiveSG aims to co-create programmes that are affordable and inclusive for all skill levels and age groups.

About WTA
The WTA is the global leader in women’s professional sport with more than 2,500 players representing 92 nations competing for a record $130 million in prize money. The 2016 WTA competitive season includes 56 events and four Grand Slams in 33 countries. In 2015, The WTA was watched by 395 million fans on television and digital channels around the world. The 2016 WTA competitive season concludes with the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, from 23-30 October 2016 and the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai, China from 1-6 November 2016.

Further information on the WTA can be found at www.wtatennis.com, facebook.com/WTA and twitter.com/WTA.