Safari Junior Tennis Camp Kicks off!!!

On Monday 6 2012 The Safari Junior Tennis Camp kicked off once again. It is the largest tennis camp in east and central Africa having hosted many children of different ages from 6 to 18 years. The camp is held at Sadili Oval Sports Club and has been going on for the last twelve years and has had many famous coaches come to volunteer including Paul Holbach former coach to Lindsay Davenport, William Murray former coach to the Williams Sisters, Former Cornell University Coach David Geatz, Dan James USTA national wheelchair tennis manager and many others.

Fabrizio Caldarone

Ann Guerrant 

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This years expected top  players are; Fabrizio Caldarone and former world number 11 Ann Guerrant who has played against and beat players like Billie Jean King and Maria Navratilova. Mr. Caldarone has worked with famous players like Maria Sharapova, Ivan Ljubicic, David Ferrer, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Albert Costa, Guillermo Coria, Patrick Rafter, Nicolas Kiefer, Olivier Rochus, Dudi Sela, Davide Sanguinetti, Maria Sharapova,  and Nadia Petrova among others.

Mr. Caldarone is expected to jet in at 1220 on the 7th August, and will spend the first week of the camp working with Kenya’s own, Dr. Liz Odera and her team, on developing young local and regional talent

The East Africa Safari Junior Tennis Camp remains the regions premier platform for showcasing 80 of the region’s talent, and will, this year, have representation from Uganda, Tanzania, Sudan, Rwanda and Burundi. The Camp, sponsored by Virgin Atlantic, Carnivore, Professional Tennis Registry, Dartfish and Head, amongst others  and shall include the following activities:

6 – 10 August 2012: Camp 1 at Sadili Oval Sports Academy
11 – 12 August 2012: Smashers Challenge Tournament at Karen Country Club

13 – 17 August 2012: Camp 2 at Sadili Oval Sports Academy

15 – 17 August 2012: East Africa Junior Tennis Tournament at Sadili Oval Sports Academy  


 Want to know more about our summer camps and activities? 

 Contact us at sadilioval@gmail.com

Hassan Ndayashimiye, former student trains tennis lovers at Sadili Oval

 Sadili Oval Sports Academy in Lang’ata, Nairobi, was a hive of activities as the young and old gathered to gain tennis lessons from an alumni. South Africa-based and former Sadili Oval and Malezi School tennis ace Hassan Ndayashimiye made the practice session possible. Ndayashimiye, who left Sadili Oval on a tennis scholarship to South Africa four years ago, trained players. The players involved those at Sadili Oval and also from neighbouring schools. The sessions involved ball control, court runs, hits, positive thinking and other fitness levels.

The Burundian said he saw it possible to come and give back to Sadili that nurtured his tennis career on top of a prestigious scholarship that he was awarded when he was very young. "The training I got at Sadili has enabled me to win championships in South Africa. Furthermore, I have reached the Wimbledon main draw because of the skills I learnt here," said Ndayashimiye, 17, who was accompanied by his sponsor Kassie Mcilvaine.

"It was nice being here at least for a day to impart what I have learnt to these children. My advice is that they should be focused and be ready to work very hard towards achieving their goals in tennis," added Ndayashimiye, who is currently ranked 27 in World Junior category. He recently reached the third round in an African tennis event in Morocco before moving to win a championship in Tunisia.

He says the greatest challenge to many young upcoming players is ability to amass points. "It’s (amassing points) a tedious process that needs discipline and perseverance, one needs to attend as many ranking tournaments as possible," he added.

Sadili Oval CEO Liz Odera congratulated Ndayashimiye for giving back to the centre that developed him. "It’s great to have him (Ndayashimiye) back, he started training here at age nine. He is now going places. Training in South Africa and Europe has made him even sharper," Odera said.

Meanwhile, Sadili Oval Centre has many tournaments and activities lined up in their calendar this year, beginning with the Smashers Challenge Cup on January 28.

Notable Tournaments Played:

Wimbledon (Juniors)
US Open (Juniors)
Roland Garros (Juniors)
Orange Bowl 
Eddie Herr Junior tournament 
Astrid Bowl