{"id":54733,"date":"2024-03-26T10:26:36","date_gmt":"2024-03-26T10:26:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/liberian-tenis-star-keen-becoming-professional"},"modified":"2024-03-26T12:13:05","modified_gmt":"2024-03-26T12:13:05","slug":"liberian-tenis-star-keen-becoming-professional","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/liberian-tenis-star-keen-becoming-professional","title":{"rendered":"Liberian Tenis Star Keen Becoming Professional"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Liberia. <\/strong><\/span>Monrovia-Rising Liberian tennis star Benjamin F. Kandakai, currently training to make it as a professional tennis player, says he is optimistic about representing Liberia at international tournaments in the years to come. Benjamin, a 12-year-old 7th-grade student at Noah\u2019s Ark High School, has taken on some of the best young players in the country and believes he has what it takes to compete outside of Liberia. However, getting opportunities is a huge setback for him and many other kids passionate about tennis and other sports in the country.<\/p>\n

The youngster, whose father is a trained tennis coach, has won three titles since he started playing tennis but is hoping to showcase himself outside of Liberia. At 11 years old, he won his first tournament at the Snow Hill Football Field, sponsored by the Board of Advisors for a program run by Coach Alfred, in December 2023. He won his second title tournament at the SKD, sponsored by Kadi\u2019s Restaurant, in December 2023. Additionally, on December 23, 2023, he won his third major tournament at Invisible Park in the 14 & under category.<\/p>\n

Speaking to FrontPage Africa about his fast-growing career, Benjamin said he has worked hard with his dad and others day in and day out to reach such a level and doesn\u2019t want to be restricted to just playing in Liberia.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt excited to play in these tournaments because my dad and coach have trained me well for the event. I played against other good players of the U-13 category and was victorious. Now I\u2019m training to keep winning and making a name for myself and Liberia,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

When asked how he started playing tennis, Ben said he began playing tennis as a kid in his community at age 9 months using mini-tennis. His father, Coach Alfred Kandakai, who is an ITF High-Performance Coach (HPC) based in Valencia, Spain, started training kids in the backyard when baby Benjamin was learning how to crawl. Benjamin would frequently interrupt training sessions when his father was catering to other kids eager to learn the sport. At the age of 10, Benjamin started playing in the 12 and under category, drawing the attention of spectators.<\/p>\n

In an exclusive interview with FrontPage Africa\u2019s sports reporter, Benjamin expressed his interest in becoming a professional tennis player and seeking a three-week training program in the USA. His older brother, Alfred Kandakai Jr., age 24, currently resides in the USA, plays lawn tennis, coaches, and owns a tennis academy in New Jersey.<\/p>\n

The promising star added that it was very strange and difficult at the start of his tennis career. \u201cI loved to taunt my opponents and make sure I distracted them by talking with them while playing, and it worked,\u201d he said. \u201cI built on my old tricks and skill set to earn my status in tennis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking to his father, Alfred Kandakai Sr., he said his son dreams of playing on the big stage and can\u2019t wait to have any opportunity to make his dream come true. \u201cHe loves to watch Roger Federer play and wants to be like him,\u201d Coach Kandakai Sr. said. \u201cHe says tennis makes him healthy and live longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Coach Kandakai, who also serves as the technical director of the Liberia Tennis Federation, Benjamin wants to play in the Grand Slam and ATP one day. \u201cHe is my role model, and I want to be like him. He is a champion on the big stage, and that is something I love to achieve when I grow older. He has won laurels, and my dream is to achieve that as well with my country.\u201d<\/p>\n

He disclosed that it\u2019s been tough combining education with tennis and the influence of his parents. \u201cIt\u2019s very tough, I must say. The distance from my school to the practice court is quite far, and I have to meet up to ensure I don\u2019t get punished. I also need to be early in school and must complete my assignments daily. I believe in tennis, and I\u2019m sure that I will make it, but it is very tough combining both.\u201d<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Liberia<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Liberia. Monrovia-Rising Liberian tennis star Benjamin F. Kandakai, currently training to make it as a professional tennis player, says he is optimistic about representing Liberia at international tournaments in the years to come. Benjamin, a 12-year-old 7th-grade student at Noah\u2019s Ark High School, has taken on some of the best young players in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":54732,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,17],"tags":[233,237,234],"class_list":["post-54733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-sport","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-liberia","tag-liberia"],"yoast_head":"\nLiberian Tenis Star Keen Becoming Professional - Liberia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Monrovia-Rising Liberian tennis star Benjamin F. 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