De Wet De Villiers Brokers had the privilege of working with and learning from tennis legend, Pietie Norval. Mr Norval joined the De Wet De Villiers (DWDV) Team at their Rustenburg office during an All Staff Meeting on 5 February 2019. During his visit he shared his life lessons, wisdom and remarkable life story, which included his journey from humble beginnings in Cape Town, to being the number one doubles tennis player in the world.
“It was an honour to have Mr Norval motivate and inspire the DWDV Team,” says Thomas de Wet, Chief Executive Officer at De Wet De Villiers Brokers. “It is not every day that an all- star legend like Pietie Norval imparts wisdom that inspires, motivates and challenges you to think differently.”
The De Wet De Villiers Brokers Team with Pietie Norval (back row, third from right) during the All Staff Meeting
Pieter Norval is a former tennis player for South Africa who turned professional in 1988. He represented the Country in the Men’s Tennis Doubles tournament at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, where he and his partner, Wayne Ferreira, won the silver medal. Mr Norval has since won multiple tennis tournaments, including the Year-end Championships, ATP Masters Series, ATP Championship Series and numerous ATP Tours.
During Norval’s visit at DWDV, he discussed his journey to reaching the pinnacle of his career, the challenges he faced, how to handle setbacks in life, why it is important to learn from the past and live in the now, the factors of believing in one self and how to set yourself up for success.
“Pietie’s success, both on and off the tennis court, is an inspiration and prime example that we should never give up. Sometimes life hits us hard, but it is how we get up and continue that separates us from the crowd and steers us to the stars,” concludes de Wet.
Mr Norval believes that the difference between winning and losing in tennis, sport, work and life is small; but you need to always let the odds play in your favour.
Pietie Norval owns and manages the Norval Tennis Academy that is based in Pecanwood, Hartebeespoort. The Academy provides the full range of tennis coaching services across Gauteng and the North West Province and can be contacted on 060 966 9500 / 072 601 3561, or norvaltennis@gmail.com.