
Africa is the forgotten continent. An often-overlooked gem, shaken regularly by instability. In tennis, of course, this is no exception: aside from South Africa or the Maghreb region, which do have professional tournaments and have produced players who reached the elite ranks (we all remember Kevin Anderson, Younes El Aynaoui, or Hicham Arazi, for example), few countries in the heart of the African continent can boast of being a talent factory. Rwanda aims to be one of them.
It is a country determined to change this paradigm. It aims to become a beacon of light so that Africa resounds powerfully in the world of tennis once more. It is not an easy task, and it requires a great deal of knowledge, some strategy, and, above all, time to achieve it. Nevertheless, they have laid the groundwork with the Challenger tournaments, a fantastic platform to first generate enthusiasm and interest among people for a sport that captivates you when witnessed in person. Kigali, for the second edition in 2025, has hosted two top-level tournaments: a Challenger 75 and a Challenger 100. In the heart of Africa, in Rwanda. And, naturally, that is where we have ventured.
FIRST VLOG, TENNIS IN RWANDA:
Magic packed their bags and set off on an adventure to Kigali, an uncharted territory, to show you the intricacies of a tournament organized with the care and attention of those aiming to make an impact on the world. They narrate this in a first vlog, sharing varied experiences: from the duration and challenges of traveling there from Spain to an exclusive conversation with the country's Sports Minister.
In between, there is a collection of firsthand experiences: the tournament facilities' cleanliness, how the country engages through sponsors for an event that might be just another tournament elsewhere, moments featuring names like Marco Cecchinato or Valentin Royer... and a fascinating conversation with one of our own, Oriol Roca, who also took part in this adventure and was impressed by Rwanda's cleanliness, hospitality, and determination, sharing remarkable insights about his experiences as a player in such a place.
Thirty minutes of pure tennis where you will discover what lies behind the 'Visit Rwanda' advertising seen on football teams like PSG or Arsenal, as you delve into the heart of Africa to learn how an event like this is organized, listen to testimonials from those involved in the tournament... serving as just the first part of this series of vlogs that will continue soon. If you hit Like, by the way, you greatly assist in reaching more viewers on YouTube. Enjoy, friends!
* Under the 'Rwanda' tag and in the upcoming days and weeks, you will be able to read all the interviews and reports from a journey to the heart of Africa to discover how tennis and sports are developing in this region.
This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Así es el tenis en África: vivimos el Challenger de Ruanda desde dentro y hablamos con una Ministra