World tennis boss to open training centre in Nairobi

What you need to know:

  • Tennis Kenya president James Kenani will brief Haggerty on the status of the sport in the country where the ITF president will also meet Sports cabinet secretary Rashid Echesa.
  • Haggerty is expected to depart for Kigali, Rwanda on Friday accompanied by Kenani for the Confederation of African Tennis Annual General Meeting will take place for two days from Friday.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) President David Haggerty, is due in the country Tuesday evening to commission the Regional High Performance Training Centre and residence on Wednesday in Upperhill, Nairobi.

Haggerty, an American based at ITF headquarters in London, will also preside over a ground-breaking ceremony for new tennis courts at Tennis Kenya’s National Training Centre at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, on Thursday.

The American will be accompanied on the trip by representatives from ITF headquarters in London, among them ITF Project Administrator Frank Couraud, and Amine Ben Makhlouf, who is ITF’s Development Officer for Africa.

Also expected in Haggerty’s itinerary are the Confederation of African Tennis (CAT) president Tarak Cherif.

Tennis Kenya vice chairman Francis Mutuku disclosed that Haggerty, who will be in Kenya on a two-day visit, is seeking to follow on with the vision he brought on board when he joined ITF.

“His was to empower continental, regional and national associations to build the sport of tennis by their own initiative and locally thought out projects,” said Mutuku adding that the Centre and residence that Haggerty is to open has 12 elite players from five Africa countries.

The players drawn from Kenya, Burundi, Cameroon, Gabon and Madagascar, reside and receive education at the Centre that is under ITF Certified Coaches headed by ITF Development Officer, Thierry Ntwali at Nairobi Club.

Tennis Kenya president James Kenani will brief Haggerty on the status of the sport in the country where the ITF president will also meet Sports cabinet secretary Rashid Echesa.

Haggerty is expected to depart for Kigali, Rwanda on Friday accompanied by Kenani for the Confederation of African Tennis Annual General Meeting will take place for two days from Friday.