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Regional | Sports

Eight-year-old Kalani excels in tennis

There's an eight-year-old boy pursuing the sport of tennis and although he has only been playing for 16 months, Kalani Savage of Te Teko is already excelling.

Te Kāea reporter Wikitoria Day spoke to him and his family in Whakatāne just recently.

You'd never think that it hasn't yet been two years since young Kalani first picked up a tennis racket.

His mother Kim Rameka says, "We got me and him a racket and decided to go for a little hit.  We thought we would get Kalani one as well and he had something that we didn't."

It was only four months ago that Paul Roberts realised Kalani's potential and a short while after, he became Kalani's coach.

As one can imagine, his parents are immensely proud upon the knowledge that he has achieved so much in such a short space of time.

Although he is only 8 years of age, he already knows that by training he will only get better.

Kalani says, "I really want to get better at tennis and I want to keep going to training all the time."

A child loves to dream, and there is one big dream that remains embedded in Kalani's mind.

"My dream is to be number one in the world."  A dream that could possibly become a reality.