Rwanda will host the 2021 ITF Junior World Tennis Tour slated in July, Rwanda Tennis Federation (RTF) has confirmed. The competition was supposed to happen in June as per International Tennis Federation (ITF)’s provisional calendar but had to be moved in July, on a yet to be confirmed date to prevent it from coinciding with the much-anticipated 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) which takes place in Kigali in June. The federation is now looking to get its stakeholders, including the government, involved to ensure a successful competition which comes to the country for the third time in five years. Théoneste Karenzi, the president of Rwanda Tennis Federation, told Times Sport that the federation is doing all it can to raise funds to organise the competition before announcing the dates during which it will take place. “We are looking at mobilizing funds from different partners, including the Ministry of Sports, as we seek support to organise a successful Tennis competition like we did in past editions,” Karenzi said in an interview. “This is an international Tennis competition that benefits not only participants but which also boosts the visibility of the country as long as it attracts players from different countries across the globe,” he added. In 2019, the competition brought together over 70 junior Tennis players from 20 countries and Karenzi is targeting a bigger turn up at this year’s edition as soon as the funds needed to organise it are availed. The federation is considering approaching the Ministry of Sports soon to support in organising the event. Karenzi is positive that organising the competition is so important for Tennis in the country because it opens room for opportunities for local Tennis players to test their level of performances in the game while playing with international junior players. “We are interested in hosting this competition because we believe, from our experience, it gives a big platform for the young Tennis players, especially homegrown players, to test and grow their level of performance while it is also an opportunity for players to increase their points and progress to upper categories,” he said. While the number of youth playing Tennis in Rwanda remains scarce, Karenzi says a competition of ITF Junior World Tour’s caliber can inspire the young generation to take up the sport. This would be the third time Rwanda will be hosting the ITF Junior World Tour after 2019 and 2016.
