The rise in African tournaments

Madadman · Masters Series Champion

The rise in African tournaments

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Madadman wrote:
Apart from low level ITFs in Northern Africa there never use to be much in the way of tournaments in Africa, in recent years. Two years ago Rwanda started a challenger event,, this week Brazzaville in Congo has an event and Ive just noticed that two Challenger events in Ivory Coast have popped up on the Calendar in April. Good to see tennis spreading although sometimes the events can be a bit weak, take Brazzaville this week there was a two man qualifying draw and not even a full main draw with the top seed getting a bye.The doubles event also had two byes.

Definitely good to see and one to keep an eye out for. I think even if weak, we need to encourage them to grow the game. Not many years ago, Africa had a decent number of players in Nigeria (Nduka Odizor was the biggest name), Senegal (Yaya Doumbia is the one I remember), Morocco of course (Arazi, Alami, El Aynaoui) and the ATP had main tour events on and off in places like Lagos, Nairobi, Cairo, as well as Jo'burg (which may not count in this narrative) of course.

As an aside, wonder if this thread is better moved to general section as opposed to Player of the Month thread section, it doesnt really fit and may get missed, although it is a topic that interests me a lot!

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Looking back at Wiki history and my own memory, over the years we have had various events in Africa, not enough - but more than now

Egypt - on the mens side, there was an Egyptian Open played until 1982, at ATP level, and then a CHallenger through 2002. Winners included Jose Higueras, Guillermo Vilas, Sergi Bruguera, Thomas Muster,

On the womens side, there was the Dreamland Tennis Classic in 1999 won by Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario; in 2016, the Soho Square Ladies CLassic was won by Donna Vekic, and in 2020 there was the Zed Open at ITF $100k level

Kenya - the Kenya Open formed part of the ILTF Grand Prix through 1980, for the men, and 1986 for the women. Brits like Lesley Charles won it in the 1970's

Nigeria - Lagos formed part of the WCT Circuit in 1976 as WCT Lagos (Dick Stockton beat Arthur Ashe amidst a coup in which the players got rounded up by soldiers with guns and they actually finished the event in Venezuela! Between 1978 and 1980 it formed part of the Grand Prix circuit at what might nowadays be Challenger level. It then carried on at various levels through 1991 with winners like Muster and Paul Haarhuis. The Austrians between Muster, Kary and Feigl seem to have been very successful there; post 2000, it moved to the ITF circuit at $25k level and included womens events as well

Tunisia - had a mens challenger for a couple of years around 15 years ago, and womens WTA and ITF events on and off (Jasmin Open, Nana Open)

South Africa - too many events to name, including grass and hard, the SOuth African Open being the biggest but now defunct. Famous for Arthur Ashe playing during apartheid and making a big splash back home with running tennis clinics in Soweto etc. This was at tour level, and decent money, but clearly SOuth African economy and politics was quite different to other countries; it stopped around 2011 from what I can tell

Morocco - the King Hassan II Trophy has been a ATP 250 mainstay of the clay season for many years. The womens Grand Prix SAR Princess Lalla Meryem has been played consistently since 2001, at ITF and WTA level varyingly.

Other countries may have had events, but these seem the main ones

Elegant Point · Satellite level

ATP Challenger event in Brazzaville, Congo interrupted by reported gunfire near tournament site
Play was temporarily suspended due to what organizers later called a routine training exercise by local police.

www.tennis.com/baseline/articles/atp-challenger-event-in-brazzaville-congo-interrupted-by-reported-gunfire-near-tournament-site

www.atptour.com/en/scores/current-challenger/brazzaville/2961/draws