Mariska also received a wild entrance in 2016 but wasn't picked by SASCOC to represent SA at the Rio Paralympics. "I was devastated when I received the news that I didn't make the team, and I had to pick myself up and work harder for the next Paralympics," she told iNews Ermelo. After the Rio disappointment, Mariska worked hard and was in top form in 2020 when the worldwide pandemic struck hard. She said she realised because of the pandemic that she wouldn't be able to play enough tennis tournaments to qualify for the Paralympics. So, after the second big disappointment in her tennis career, she then decided to focus on her BCom Marketing studies at Unisa and keep honing her tennis skills at Tuks Exercise Medicine and Lifestyle Institute. "I was dumbfounded when I received the SMS that SASCOC picked me to represent SA in Tokyo. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to represent my country at the Paralympics. I've worked so hard for this, and it is a dream come true for me," said Mariska. Mariska will compete in singles and doubles between 27 August and 4 September in Tokyo. She will play doubles alongside Wimbledon 2021 woman's singles finalist Kgothatso Montjane. "It feels unreal that I can live out the dream that I have worked so hard for for the past seven years. I am over the moon to make my debut at the Tokyo Paralympics 2021."

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