Over the last few years, Africa has become an attractive destination for sports.
From MMA champions, growing soccer success and the launch and expansion of NBA Africa to the NFL’s expansion into the continent, the world seems to be waking up to the emerging financial and marketing potential that the continent possesses.
The latest sports entry into Africa is tennis, and the interest comes from one of the most respected names in the sport to a nation with no history in the game.
Last week, Insider Expeditions, a leader in global travel excursions, announced a new partnership with John and Patrick McEnroe to bring the tennis legends to Tanzania this December as part of a new goodwill, awareness and sport initiative. In cooperation with and support of the Tanzanian government, the Brothers McEnroe will be accompanied by as many as 120 tennis aficionados during a special eight-day trip that will include the dedication of a tennis court in the Serengeti.
Along with all the media benefits of having the tennis luminaries in the country (and initial talk of a possible documentary after the trip), both McEnroe brothers talked about the great longer-term possibilities a trip like this could have in jumpstarting interest in tennis to a generation never exposed to the sport.
John McEnroe, who captained the U.S. Davis Cup team when they played in Zimbabwe in 2000, remembered the impression he and the team (which boasted Andre Agassi among others) got when holding a clinic with young people.
“It was amazing to see the interest but you are talking about young people at that time struggling to get by, let alone learn about tennis,” he said. “However, there was interest, and if we can find time, which we should to especially speak to and learn from coaches in Tanzania, it would be a good first step.”
Patrick McEnroe echoed his rothers thoughts on the value of the trip for the sport’s growth.
“I spend a lot of time at the Johnny Mac Tennis Academy in New York with John, and that’s a big goal of ours there to help those kids that, as John said, normally couldn’t afford to try to pursue a pro career or collegiate career, or even just play the sport consistently,” Patrick said. “So we’re going to try to do our part to bring some positive attention to Tanzania, and the rest of the world, to what tennis can do.
“And if we get the opportunity to continue to do that in the future, of course we jump at that opportunity. But this is certainly a great chance to, as John said, do something that is a bucket list type of experience and at the same time hopefully move the needle a little bit as far as getting tennis attention in that part of the world.”
The trip will also feature the construction of a court in the middle of The Serengeti and the opportunity to meet with young people and tennis officials in the country to get a better understanding of the opportunities. A portion of proceeds will benefit the Johnny Mac Tennis Project, which provides inner city kids in New York with opportunities to learn and play tennis, and The Tanzania Youth Coalition. Details on the involvement of the charities will be released in early March.
The excitement in Tanzania seems very palpable.
“We are excited to welcome John and Patrick McEnroe and their guests to Tanzania for this special event in December,” said Tanzania’s Hon. President Samia Suluhu Hassan, the country’s first woman president. “Our country continues to grow through efforts like this, which expose the vistas and our people to new experiences from visitors around the world. Adding a special element like tennis to this mix will also help us with another one of our key initiatives, which is to create more health and lifestyle opportunities for our young people. While many know of John, their interests sometimes lie with sports like soccer, so using a great individual sport like tennis to teach life skills from legends first-hand will make for an experience people will never have imagined.”
The luxury journey will be highlighted by a tennis match between the McEnroe brothers in the midst of the Serengeti.
However, the opportunity to establish an interest in the sport in the country has huge potential and bringing a family of tennis royalty to launch the event is a major first step to long-term growth.
Details on the trip to date are at https://insiderexpeditions.com/mcenroe.
