Uganda is preparing to host an ITF junior event for the first time in nearly 15 years and this piece of history is being described as a “watershed moment” for tennis development within the East African nation.

Not since December 2009 has an ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors tournament been held in Uganda, yet that long wait will end when back-to-back J30 events are staged in Kampala, the nation’s capital city, later this month.

It forms part of the ITF’s mission to broaden opportunity and develop tennis around the globe, with this very much evident in Africa where this year more than 110 junior tournaments (22 in East Africa) will be held in excess of 20 nations.

This is a figure which has increased year on year and more starkly of late, with 78 tournaments staged in Africa during 2019 and just 13 across 10 nations a decade ago in 2013. 

Hosting junior events once again was part of the long-term development plan put in place by the Uganda Tennis Association in 2018 when the nation resumed its ITF membership following an eight-year absence.

Another key programme of 2018 was the introduction of the ITF Junior Tennis Initiative (JTI), which provides opportunities for children around the world to pick up a racket for the first time.

Encouraging children to play in locally organised sessions and then competitions, the JTI also acts as a mechanism for talented young players to progress, feeding them into national and international competitions where appropriate.

Some of the players from the initial JTI intake five years ago are set to compete at the J30 Kampala events and contest an international tournament within their home country. It is a huge source of pride for all in Uganda.

“For Uganda, hosting these events in Kampala is a watershed moment, while our re-entry onto the ITF junior circuit is a key landmark for the achievements of the JTI,” Alvin Bagaya Mboijana, General Secretary of the Uganda Tennis Association, tells itftennis.com.

“This has been a journey of sacrifice, commitment and effort from coaches, the secretariat and board of the national association to build the critical mass in our ranks so we can proudly showcase the talent which exists in our country.

“These events hopefully mark the start of a special journey of trying to get a Ugandan junior to qualify for a Junior Grand Slam. It all creates countless possibilities for coaches, parents, athletes and the tennis ecosystem in Uganda.”

In March, Latif Ssendyowa, Jonah Ssentongo and Claire Nalubuula represented Uganda at the 2023 ITF/CAT African Junior Championships in Togo, which brings together talented players from across the continent in the 14-and-under age category.

Taking to the court at the two J30 Kampala events, the first of which gets underway on 22 May, will be three players – Troy Adrian Zziwa, Maggie Flavia Namaganda and Edna Lovinsa Nabirvo – who qualified for the 2019 ITF/CAT African Junior Championships in Casablanca.

In short, the player pathway for talented Ugandans exists and is continually improving, which is promising given Uganda is a nation with significant potential in both the participation and performance space. It is also a country with big goals and aspirations.

As Bagaya Mboijana alludes, never before has a Ugandan competed in the main draw of a Junior Grand Slam, while the nation is yet to reach the finals of an ITF junior team competition. However, the drive for this to change is there.

“In Uganda, tennis is alive and kicking again,” Thierry Ntwali, the ITF’s Development Officer for East Africa, tells itftennis.com.

“The future of Ugandan tennis is based on a solid foundation and has been built over the last four years with emphasis on the JTI, which has produced both numbers and talent.

“The national association runs junior tournaments every month and this helps with talent identification and retention for national and high-performance programmes. This is a deliberate move to ensure there is the critical mass during the next 15 years at least.

“With every age group having internal competition and added hours of coaching, added to a greater presence at ITF/CAT events, I am confident a strong player pathway in Uganda is being built.

“We also hope to break the barrier of Junior Grand Slam tennis in the near future and have more athletes going to college to further both their education and tennis careers.”

There are other important components to Uganda’s development strategy, and the Uganda Tennis Association has applied to the ITF for funding through its Facility Grant Programme with the aim of constructing a national training centre.

Since 2017, the ITF has awarded $1.4m to 35 different nations to build, extend or maintain key facilities and in Uganda it is believed this will help stage more events, including wheelchair tennis and beach tennis tournaments.

With the increasing numbers of people participating in the sport and reaching a high-performance level across the nation, coach education and indeed data management have become increasingly significant.

An application for funds through the ITF’s Digitalisation Grant Programme has also been made to ensure Uganda has the appropriate platforms in place for effective athlete management, rankings and tournament support.

Other targets include hosting ITF World Tennis Tour events again – five men’s tournaments were held in Uganda in 2018 and 2019 – and improving the competitiveness of the nation’s Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup teams.

It is fair to say there is plenty happening – and it is all positive. For now, however, all eyes are on Kampala.

“The J30 Kampala events are definitely the start of many future junior events,” said Bagaya Mboijana. “Hosting 18-and-under tournaments is a key pathway for players coming through the JTI and we see this as an opportunity to give our young athletes the requisite exposure and experience.

“Hosting these tournaments also allows the game of tennis to be talked about in boardrooms, for sponsors to be engaged and for interest in the game to be created.”

The time for Uganda to shine is nigh.