RWANDA’s number two tennis player Bertin Karenzi is settling in well in the United States after he secured a tennis scholarship program at Morgan State University.

A former Information Technology (IT) student at Integrated Polytechnic Regional Centre (IPRC), the 19-year-old will continue his studies at the university while at the same time playing for them in the first division.

In an interview with Times Sport, the youngster talks about his rise to becoming Rwanda’s top Tennis player and his career ambitions.

Excerpts:

How is life at Morgan State University now?

It’s perfect. I am getting to know people. My team is so nice to me.

How did the scholarship come about?

The University’s coach approached me. We first met in Egypt back in August last year. I was there playing for the national team and he was coaching one of the students who was participating at the same tournament.

We met but we never talked until he texted me via Instagram after one month. He asked if I was interested in joining him at the university. That’s how it started.

Were you surprised by the offer he suggested?

Not really. I already had other offers from Mexico and USA but they were pending because they were from lower divisions. I had two offers from division three and one from junior college.

I didn’t want to go there because I wanted to play professionally.

When he texted me, I did some background check about his team and I realized that at the time Maryland was fourth in the United States.

He said that he wants to win the championship and I said I can be part of his ambitious team.

I was not surprised; I was just waiting for the right offer.

Is it the right offer you have been waiting for?

It’s been my dream since I was young. I wanted to play in the United States, instead of going there just because it is the USA. Because I wanted to play in division one, I think this is the right offer I was waiting for.

Have you ever won any tennis championship before?

Yes, I did. In Rwanda, I won the Heineken Tennis Open in 2019. I was 17 back then and that’s when I became Number One on Rwanda’s Tennis rankings. I was number eight before the tournament and I jumped to the top after winning it.

How did you start your tennis career?

My father worked at the national Olympic Committee. He didn’t play Tennis but he was an athlete.

We did some jogging together on the weekend but I was too fat. He tried to help me and my little brother to find some sport to play…just to lose some weight. We wanted to play football or basketball.

We went to football pitches but they refused to welcome us even though we had to pay and the same happened when we joined tried to play basketball at Amahoro indoor stadium but failed to get a chance.

Returning home, we passed by a tennis court. We did not know what Tennis was like, but we joined it because we had no choice. There was a coach Called Hamad, who welcomed us and encouraged us to try it.

Is your brother still playing tennis?

No, he stopped because of studies.

So how did you manage to juggle tennis with studies?

Like him, I never played when I was studying at an ordinary level. My father is very strict when it comes to studies. He said I had to study first and promised to let me play Tennis after I completed my ordinary level studies.

I went to study at College St Aloys, Rwamagana. I was at the time number one in Under-14.

So I had to stop playing it for three years. I was already in love with the game but my father couldn’t let me play it until I finished O’ level. 

He let me resume Tennis after O’level and he supported me in my development ever since.

What are your prospects ahead of your new challenge in tennis?

I am nervous of course. I am starting over again but I am looking forward to playing with good Tennis players in division one. It’s a new challenge I have to welcome.

I first want to help the school win the championship, they won it back in 2018 but they did not win it the following year and I think that is why they added some fresh blood including me. So I think I can do it, the coach has confidence in me, so I just want to prove them right.

What do you attribute your rise to becoming Rwanda’s top tennis player?

I am where I am now because of former president of Rwanda Tennis Federation Kassim Ngeruka. He is now my official sponsor. He was the one who facilitated me to travel to Egypt to participate in the Davis Cup and he is the one who negotiated my contract with Morgan State University.  Of course I have had the support of my coaches and the federation but this man means a lot to who the Tennis player I am now. ‘

Tennis is a good sport. It is expensive but it pays back.