Following what one can least describe as a very successful inaugural ATP Challenger 50 Tour in Kigali, Rwanda now finds in a position of hosting bigger competitions like ATP Challenger 75 or even 100, according local tennis governing body (RTF) president Theoneste Karenzi. The federation, in collaboration with the ministry of sports, organized two successive tournaments in two back-to-back weeks from February 26 to March 10, attracting more than 60 players from over 20 nationalities. Polish qualifier Kamil Majchrzak won the Week 1 tournament, for his fourth ATP Tour title, whereas Argentine Marco Trungelliti claimed the Week 2, his third (ATP Challenger) title. In an exclusive interview with Times Sport recently, Karenzi said that the entire organizing team was overwhelmed by the success of the first tournaments. I think you're better judged by others but in my view the event went very well. In actual sense, I would say, what we managed to pull off was beyond our expectations considering that it was the first time to host an event of that magnitude,” he said. “Before, we have been hosting ITF tournaments but this was at another level, when you go to professional circuit then it becomes another beast, so considering it was the first time, I think we did well. In terms of facilities, we got an immediate (positive) feedback from the ATP officials and the tournament director. Even the courts were of high standards, before, when they came here, there are areas they recommended we improve and when they returned, they found we had done everything as we were asked to, he noted. Karenzi commended the government, particularly the Ministry of Sports and the President's Office for supporting his federation towards a successful event. Rwanda, as a country, from the top leadership, moved in and not only did we meet the standards required but we also exceeded what was expected of us. Away from that, and concerning matters regarding action on and off the courts as well as the welfare and wellbeing of participating players, the RTF top official, was equally satisfied. This is another positive, the way the tournament was run, both weeks, from start to finish, we never had any major incidence, matches went down well, the players were happy and they expressed it that they were happy about the environment, facilities, service, the people (around them). (As) you are aware, we had over 20 nationalities, we had a few interviews with them, and the feedback was immediate. When I tell you about being a bit comfortable saying this was ok, is because, in some areas (not all), we got immediate feedback, he acknowledged. Not just the players were satisfied, but the officials too, and Karenzi, was equally happy to point it out, saying, Yeah, the officials were happy with the way we handled things, so for me that is also a plus.” So, is it safe to say, Rwanda scored full marks in the first test and...ready to host even bigger ATP events? Karenzi: There are a few things here and there to fine-tune, but overall, it was okay. We, RTF and MINISPORTS, were in it together. Then add the material and moral support of the top leadership of this country, you feel encouraged and inspired to do even more. So that was another plus that Rwanda pulled it off, it's not only the federation but Rwanda. Which actually gives us a chance to even host a bigger one...than ATP 50. What makes you so confident at this point? Karenzi: When you look at the overview, we had the ATP Challenger director here, that was a plus for us. We had the Confederation of African Tennis (CAT) president, he was our guest. Yannick Noah, former Grand Slam winner was here. Then we had the French Tennis Federation official here, actually we are soon working out a partnership with them. Now if you add all that together, that was another plus for us. So, look at that in terms of partnership and stakeholders, that was very huge. Then also, in addition to other stakeholders, most of our private sector people are now getting interested in tennis because of this event. We had some sponsors but after this event, we're getting to talk to people, so this is tennis getting into the limelight. Issues of travelling to Europe and all these other places, like you saw, we had players from 25 nationalities. Put it this way, these guys have sponsors, they have financial support, which our players don't. So, bringing these (big) tournaments close to them is in line with our (wider) development packaging of our players. That is why we do a lot to bring these events. What more did Rwanda gain from being the second country in Sub-Saharan Africa to host an ATP Challenger Tour, in over 30 years? Karenzi: There is an inspiration now within the youth to play tennis. So hosting this tournament every year, as a host nation, we have an advantage because we can slot in some of our player so they can be able to play at a higher level. It also puts Rwanda on the international map. We have been hosting BAL, cycling, swimming and now tennis. Rwanda is known globally, so it's also a political gain. The money that comes with these visitors, they use hotels, they use transport, they use everything. So if you quantify all the gains, they are three: development of tennis, political and economic. So, you can't ask for more. If wishes were horses! Karenzi: If all goes well, we did ask for (ATP Challenger) 75, due to a combination of the fact that we managed to pull off this one, and with the positive feedback from the players. So you bring a higher level and the image has changed, you expect bigger names in the next event. Our wish is to have ATP 75 next year, and we talked about it with the ATP director. He didn't give his word because he does not make the final decision but he listened. If all goes well and the overall assessment favors us, possibly we might get a chance.
