Foreign coaches train players in Manyatta slums tennis camp

By PHILIP ORWA

The Western Kenya based Shining Hope Organization, in partnership with Victoria Tennis Academy, Elora Schools and Friends of Victoria Tennis Academy in Europe and the US unveiled the Manyatta Slums Tennis Camp over the weekend.

The one-month long tennis camp was launched over the weekend at Kosawo Primary School in Manyatta Slums and has attracted more than 100 tennis players from the age of  four to 18.

Speaking during the launch, Victoria Tennis Academy Director, Collins Agwanda said the camp is aimed at providing performance tennis training amongst aspiring and promising tennis players from less fortunate families.

“All we are about is to ensure that less fortunate kids who aspire to play tennis have the opportunity, hence we are in search of the next Serena Williams and Roger Federer through this camp,” said Agwanda.

Professional guest coaches from Europe, Steve Verkourte (Belgium) and Camilla Manson-Mitchell (United Kingdom) arrived in Kisumu’s Manyatta Slums last week to run the one-month long tennis camp.

Speaking at the same event, Coach Steve Verkourter said:  “I am a strong believer in the potential of the African continent to produce world class tennis players. I got into contact with Agwanda about a year ago, after discussing the situation with him, he invited me to run this summers tennis camp here,” Verkourter added.

 “When I arrived I was amazed by the quality of play these kids are already showing, after working with them for a couple of weeks I see their enormous dedication to this sport,” he said.

Verkourter added that some of the Elite group players like Dickens Wanyonyi and Ricky Omondi and others made a great impact on him.

“This is also why I personally will make arrangements to give a group of six to eight players from the academy the chance to come to Belgium to play higher level tennis tournaments on the Belgian circuit during the school holiday in April of next year,” the coach said.

Coach Camilla Manson-Mitchell said: “I am without words, I have been here for  a few days and the kids are fantastic.”

Dickens Wanyonyi, a beneficiary of the camp and Victoria Tennis Academy player thanked Laurence Courtois, former Women Tennis Association (WTA) world number 47 for her donations.