By Jeff Sikes

Growing up with five older brothers and sisters, Anneline Hatutale never really had to worry much about finding a tennis partner to play with. She didn’t have to worry too much about finding a court either, since the Miller Park public courts in Omaha, Neb., were only a mere four blocks away from her parents’ home. “My parents would let us go down there and play(at Miller),” said Hatutale, who took up the game at around 8 years old. “I was very lucky to always have partners to play with and a place to play. I think that is where it all started.”

Hatutale, now 34 and an underwriting consultant for Mutual of Omaha in Omaha, has seemingly always found a way to a tennis court. She’s been a true tennis-for lifer, with no plans to stop anytime soon.

“Tennis has always been a part of my life,” said Hatutale. “It’s second nature to me.”

Hatutale, whose family emigrated to the United States as political refugees from the southwest African country of Namibia when she was five, found tennis soon after her arrival in Omaha. Though her mother and father hardly ever took part in the sport, they nudged she and her siblings towards sports as constructive outlets. Young Anneline chose tennis, partly because of the proximity and ease of access to Miller Park. The other reason? She flat couldn’t get enough of the sport.

“My brothers and I started in the city program here in Omaha, and I just loved it, I wanted to play every day that I could,” said Hatutale. “We played any chance we could get.”

Not much changed in high school for Hatutale, who reveled in the team camaraderie and social aspect of the sport. She played USTA tournaments in junior high, and, played for Omaha North in high school, bouncing around the Koch Family Tennis Center in the summer and Hanscom-Brandeis Indoor Tennis Center in the winter. While in high school, Hatutale also served as a paid instructor for the city Parks and Recreation Department, teaching younger kids to love the game as much as she did.

“Growing up, (playing tennis) always gave me confidence, and it was my sport of choice,” said Hatutale. “It was something I was good at, and I loved the team environment. You get so close to your teammates.”

The competitive team aspect to tennis is why Hatutale has been a dedicated USTA League player for more than a dozen years, playing on adult and mixed teams in the Omaha area.

“I’ve been playing for quite a long time, “said Hatutale, who says her main form of exercise her entire life has been playing tennis.

“My main goal is still to get to the (USTA Leagues) National Championships someday.”

She also plays individual tournaments as much as she can, and has consistently finished the year highly-ranked in the Nebraska District and the USTA Missouri Valley Section. In 2006, Hatutale finished the year ranked in the top five in two levels, 4.0 singles and 8.0 Mixed (with partner Jimmy Walley), She also has a nice feather in her tennis cap, winning the 3.5 Women’s Singles division at the 2000 National Public Parks Tennis Championships in Arlington, Texas.

For the last two years, Hatutale has served as the junior varsity coach at her alma mater, Omaha North. When she’s not playing or coaching, she’s still immersed in the sport. Hatutale has been to the RCA Championships in Indianapolis as a spectator, and went to the US Open in 2004, which she said “was like a dream come true.”

“I’ve developed so many friends in Omaha just from playing the sport so long,” said Hatutale, whose 14-year-old daughter Melanie, is also a frequent player. “(Tennis has) brought me a lot closer to the community because of that. I hope it’s always a part of my life, and I hope to instill that in my daughter, so maybe she can get all that I’ve gotten out of the game.”