Use chance to bolster tennis

Kenya should use the occasion of the Billie Jean King Cup Group III tournament, which will be held in Nairobi from next week, to spur the growth of the women’s game.

Previously known as the Fed Cup Euro/Africa Group III championship, Billie Jean King Cup Group III tournament is a competition between women’s senior national teams and will take place at the refurbished Nairobi Club courts from June 12-17.

That the International Tennis Federation (ITF) has settled on Kenya as the host nation of the 11-team competition is a seal of approval for the country’s ability to stage key sporting events. Tennis Kenya officials ought to use the tournament to spur the growth of tennis not only in Kenya but also in the continent.

For the first time, the women’s championship will involve only teams from African countries, unlike in previous years when players from Africa were made to travel to Europe to face their European opponents. Most African countries failed to honour the championship owing to visa hitches and huge travel expenses, leading to the decline of the standards of the game. 

We commend Tennis Kenya for successfully lobbying the ITF to bring the championship to Nairobi. This means local tennis infrastructure will improve, going by the transformation that is going on at Nairobi Club tennis courts. 

Nairobi Club is upgrading its murram courts to international standard clay courts. The federation should also prioritise the completion of work on the Tennis Kenya Centre at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, so as to groom fresh talent.

Stiff competition is anticipated in the tournament from top players from Botswana, Burundi, Ghana, Morocco, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Seychelles, Uganda and Zimbabwe, and Kenyan players must step up their game to compete effectively.

At the end of the tournament, one African country is sure to be promoted to the more competitive Euro/Africa Group II category. Let’s use the occasion to develop Kenyan tennis.