Tennis Kenya is expected to cement a monumental partnership with the French Tennis Federation this weekend on the sidelines of the French Open which is on-going on at Roland Garros in Paris.
The Occasion will also be graced by Kenya’s Ambassador to France Betty Cherwon.
The Tennis Kenya President Wanjiru Mbugua Karani is already in the France Capital where she met the Mayor of the Southern France City of Istres , Robin Pretot to launch an exchange programme between the Elite Istres Sport Tennis club and Tennis Kenya , that will see players from both countries engage in training and play in reciprocal visits.
Wanjiru Mbugua said Kenyan players will benefit a lot from the Elite coaching programmes which have seen the rise of tennis legends like Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, Gael Monfils and Richard Gasquet.
“It is a great opportunity for our players to be welcomed to this city. The people of Istres have been very gracious, very open and very welcoming. They have so much for our players to make use of – their courts, their facilities, their coaches. This is such a great step for Tennis Kenya and for the City of Istres,” Mbugua-Karani remarked.
Istres Sport Tennis Club boasts five outdoor claycourt and four indoor courts with additional new generation artificial clay and several squash and padel courts.
“We are very honoured to have this relation with Kenya and with the tennis federation of Kenya. It’s always a pleasure to welcome you and to welcome your team,” newly-elected Mayor Robin Prétot said. “It (partnership) may improve our players also and help them also discover other countries. It’s a pleasure and honour to have you here and I’m also looking forward to coming to Kenya. To improve this kind of partnership and co-operation is very important for our city and our country too.” Mbugua-Karani noted that the partnership is reciprocal: “We are not just coming to Istres, but we are welcoming them to come to Kenya, to get a feel of Kenya, to understand Kenya and to know Kenya, and so we are very excited about this and looking forward to hosting them in Nairobi too.
The club has 10 professionals teaching 800 club members of all levels including baby tennis, tennis school, adult lessons, competition and adapted sports. Beyond pure tennis technique, the instructors strive to instill in everyone the values important to the Istres Sports Tennis: Friendliness, Training, Solidarity, and Self-Improvement.
“Today I’m very excited to be in the City of Istres and at the Istres Sport Tennis Club which has been able to host two of our top 16 years and under players (Jeff Okuku and Aum Chandarana) in February-March and they had such a good time,” the Tennis Kenya President said.
“They have great programmes here and great coaches. Today I had the opportunity to meet the tennis director here, Laurent Vigne, and I’m amazed at the kind of facilities that they have and, as Tennis Kenya, we are looking for opportunities for our players, especially the younger ones – the 12 and under, the 14 and under. We want them to start at this age by exposing them to international tennis, and this club and Laurent have given us that opportunity.
“France is one of the biggest tennis countries and so we feel this collaboration in France will really boost our players’ level. We are very grateful for this opportunity.” Laurent noted his excitement at working with Tennis Kenya, the French Tennis Federation and the City of Istres: “This a project for the children and as director and coach, I’m really excited about this project.”
The partnership with French Authorities comes hot on the heels of the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi where discussions were held on Sports development between the two countries.
