Tennis in the African Bush

OK, I don't really live in the Bush, but it sounds better, no?

In March 2016, a friend of mine asked me to play tennis. He said there was a small clay court near our homes, and he had an extra racket. Mind you, I think I had played tennis 2x since I last kind of played JV tennis in HS at Gilmour Academy. By kind of I mean I was 3rd String Doubles on a team that really only needed 2 Doubles teams... It was a rough go at first. At the end, he gave me the phone number for his tennis coach, Jean Paul. It was about $6 per lesson and $1 for the ball boy (yes, I said it, ball boy; the idea of a mzungu picking up his or her own balls is I guess ludicrous...) I jumped at the chance, and started the next week.

Jean Paul played in undergraduate at the University of Rwanda, and has played matches in Burundi, Tanzania, and Uganda. He mostly works as a guard and coach now, and plays matches on occasion. He is in his early 30s, and a likeable guy. He does push me, which is what I need. His English is always improving, but sometimes I have no idea what he says. We play mini-matches sometimes, and he kills me every time. I do win a full point occasionally, but honestly I think he lets me win...

It has been a fun ride since then. I usually play once a week, usually on a Wednesday afternoon around 5 pm, after a long day. I am nearly always late by 5-10 minutes, as it is Wacky Wednesday here (See previous posts on Wednesdays in Rwanda.) The court is nestled in the neighborhood of Taba, where I live, about a 8 min walk from my house. There are vegetables growing everywhere, cows crazing nearby, and curious Rwandans always looking on at the mzungus playing... It is a clay-ish court, so playing in the rainy season can be problematic. There is nothing like playing at the end of the day until you can barely see anymore, with a beautiful view of the valley below, the nearly endless sky, and the frustrations that come with playing with a coach that is kicking your ass!

I also play with a coach in Kigali occasionally at the Cercle du Sportif, right in the heart of the town. A really cool spot. That coach really kicks my ass. More on the awesomeness of Cercle du Sportif in another post. 

So, believe it or not, Tennis is a popular sport among the higher class Rwandans (I mean, the Craiger is soooo high class, right?...... haha) President Kagame plays, and has a court on his compound. It is a remnant from the colonial days, and has stuck. I do feel weird sometimes playing a game for the rich, as I don't identify myself with that crew or that lifestyle. But I do get that satisfaction of hitting a ball hard and fast over the net, landing just right. And having a good volley with the opposing player is also a great feeling! It makes things right, somehow...

In the meantime, I will continue to trudge along with tennis when I can. Who knows, perhaps you will see me one day playing in an amateur Masters (read: old man) tournament on ESPN 8, and the announcer will remark how I got my tennis restart  on a clay court mixed in with the cows and the corn and the chickens in a small town in Rwanda just as I make the winning shot... OK, give me a break; a guy can dream, can't he?

Until next time,

Love life, Find meaning, Be Happy,

Craiger