Africa-Press – Kenya. Kenya has successfully secured the rights to host the Davis Cup Africa Group IV tournament, which will be staged in Nairobi this June.
The event will bring together teams from Algeria, Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ghana, Mozambique, and host Kenya.
The tournament marks a major milestone for Kenyan tennis, reinforcing the country’s growing reputation as a destination for international sporting events.
Teams will compete in a round-robin and playoff format, with top-performing nations earning promotion to Africa Group III.
Kenya last hosted the event in 2018 and 2019, making the most of home advantage to secure promotion to the Euro/Africa Group II on both occasions, an achievement which highlighted the country’s rising tennis profile.
Speaking after the successful bid, Wanjiru Karani, president of Tennis Kenya, expressed confidence in delivering a world-class tournament.
“This is a proud moment for Tennis Kenya and for Kenya. We are ready to host the Davis Cup, the World Cup of tennis, ready to compete, show up, cheer and show what Kenyan tennis is all about,” she said.
“We are delighted to welcome Africa back to Nairobi. Hosting this tournament not only boosts the development of tennis locally but also gives our players a valuable home advantage as they compete for promotion.”
Nancy Nduku, the federation’s Secretary General, noted that beyond the sporting action, the event is expected to deliver significant economic benefits.
The influx of players, officials and fans is likely to boost demand for hotels, restaurants, transport services and other local businesses, while also enhancing Nairobi’s global visibility as a sporting hub.
Team Kenya heads into the tournament looking to improve on last year’s mixed performance in Angola, where they suffered 3-0 defeats to Burundi and Ivory Coast before bouncing back with a 3-0 win over Gabon. They later edged Mauritius 2-1 to retain their place in the group.
The team, coached by Peter Rakuom, featured players such as Albert Njogu, USA-based duo Kael Shah and Kean Shah, as well as Ishmael Changawa.
Rakuom emphasised the need for greater exposure ahead of the competition, noting that more build-up tournaments would be key to improving Kenya’s competitiveness.
“The teams we are competing against will play several build-up tournaments in terms of preparation before we go in that direction,” he said.
