Nairobi — Tennis enthusiasts across Kenya and beyond have been encouraged to bring their girls along for the Billie Jean King Cup, Africa Group III set for June 12-17 at the Nairobi Club in Nairobi.
Tennis Kenya president James Kenani said the presence of top Africa tennis players at the prestigious competition will be an inspiration for more young girls to pick up the sport.
"We hope that when BJK (Billie Jean King Cup) comes, we hope that many of the girls will see the need. As the leadership of TK, we fought very hard to have this competition held here. When they (young girls) see that it is here and the tournament is real, many of them will develop an interest in the game," Kenani said.
He added: "Bring your children and let the come watch the mature players in action. Maybe they will develop a keen interest in the game and from there they can learn."
The president further expressed hope that the tournament will add to the burgeoning interest already created in tennis by the exploits of Wimbledon Open double's junior champion Angela Okutoyi.
"The girls have really come up...in the zonals, our Under 12 side is the number one. One of our own has come up on the international scene. So, the real inspiration has not come from BJK but Angie because she was in the international limelight," he said.
Echoing his sentiments, TK secretary general Wanjiru Mbugua said the event is not only significant for Kenya but also for Africa.
"This competition has been held in Europe for the longest time and African countries have struggled. Mr Kenani and I have in the past lobbied the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to have this event held here in Africa. In Nairobi, the participation of African players is going to be 100 percent while previously it used to be 50 per cent...so you can already see the impact that hosting this event has on Africa," she said.
The two were speaking at Nairobi Club on Wednesday afternoon during the launch of the tournament - dubbed as the World Cup of Tennis.
Formerly known as the Fed Cup, the prestigious competition was last held in Kenya in 1995.
Twelve countries will be participating including Kenya, Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana, Mauritius, Botswana and Zimbabwe, among others.
