NAIROBI, Kenya, July 29- Junior tennis stars from the region are expected to arrive in Nairobi this weekend in time for this year’s East Africa Safari Junior Tennis Camp
The camp will start on Monday and run until August 14 is a brainchild of International Tennis Professionals and managed by Sadili Oval Sports Academy since its inception 12 years ago.
Previous coaches who have attended the camp include Bill Murray (former coach of Venus and Serena Williams), and Paul Holbach, trainer of Lindsay Davenport.
The camp is sponsored by Professional Tennis Registry, Sadili Oval, Tamarind, Global Sports Alliance and Sarova Hotels.
Players expected include Uganda’s rising star, David Oringa, tipped to become as strong as 2010 Kenya Open winner Duncan Mugabe.
He is part of a team of four players who include Henry Ayesiga (ITF 14 and under winner in April this year), Dennis Lutaaya.
From Tanzania, top junior Yasin Shabani will lead his team that includes 16 year old Melissa Brown and Ibrahim Kessi.
Burundi Tennis Federation is, once again, using the camp as an opportunity to sharpen the technical skills of players, and will be sending under 16 exponents namely Abdul Ishaka, Ashim Nitunga and Juma Nakizumana.
They will join Nairobi-based compatriots and Amadi Kagoma (quarterfinalist ITF 18 and Under in February this year and finalist in the Kenya Open mixed doubles), and Shebani Kabura.
Players from Mombasa include Martin Wambua, Binal Jayasinghe, Ali Jawad, Hytham Buran, Vivek Majithia, Euan Nesbitt and David Nesbitt, while young talent from Victoria Tennis Ricky Omondi shall ably represent Kisumu.
The event was preceded by a two month star search that took place around the East African region, beginning in Nairobi during the Virgin Atlantic Junior Camp in April, then followed by Mombasa, and running through Kisumu, Kampala, Bujumbura, Kigali, Arusha, before completing its journey in Nairobi in June.
Products of this camp include Wimbledon junior Hassan Ndayashimiye, Maurice Wamukowa, Rahab Mbugua, Sonia Mideva, Joab Odera, Aziza Butoyi and Terry Odera that are all currently in USA.
Peter Varnum, who is assistant women’s tennis Coach, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, will be the guest coach at the camp this year.