The Minister for Sports and Recreation, Hon. Kofi Adams, on Tuesday visited the National Tennis Centre at the Accra Sports Stadium to witness the ongoing ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors tournament, in a move that underscores the government’s commitment to developing sports beyond football.
The Minister was accompanied by the Director General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Mr Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, and his Deputy, Miss Veronica Commey. Their presence at the six-week international junior tournament, hosted by Tennis Foundation Ghana (TFG) in partnership with the Ghana Tennis Federation, signals a renewed focus on tennis as a viable pathway for Ghanaian youth.
The visit provided the Minister with a firsthand view of the high-level competition that has attracted junior players from across Africa and beyond, including China, India, Nigeria, Togo, Israel, and Great Britain .
A Resurgence Beyond Football
The ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors event, which began on August 31 and runs until October 10, is the latest evidence of a quiet revolution in Ghanaian tennis. For six consecutive weeks, the National Tennis Centre has become a hub of international junior competition, a rare feat that makes Ghana the only country globally where boys and girls compete for ITF ranking points over such an extended period .
The tournament has already produced standout performances from Ghanaian players. Gwendolyn Duvor Klu emerged as a double champion in the opening week, clinching both the girls’ singles and doubles titles at the J30 Accra event. Jeff Frimpong also impressed with a strong run to the boys’ singles final .
Speaking during his interaction with organisers, players, and officials, Hon. Adams commended Tennis Foundation Ghana for its consistency and commitment to hosting international junior tournaments.
The Minister urged TFG to strengthen its collaboration with the Ministry of Education to introduce more young people to tennis and create a broader pathway for talent identification and development.
A Foundation Built on Education and Tennis
The success of the tournament is rooted in the work of Tennis Foundation Ghana, a non-profit organisation founded in 2018 by former player Roger Crawford. TFG operates on a core principle: academic excellence and athletic discipline go hand in hand .
The foundation runs an academy with annexes in Accra, Tamale, Bolgatanga, Apirede, and Ntranoa, providing young athletes with formal training and academic support. Players like Mohammed D. Alhassan, Joseph Tetteh-fio Tetteh, and Comfort Nortey have emerged from the academy to represent Ghana internationally, with several earning scholarships to continue their education alongside their tennis development .
TFG has also invested heavily in maintaining the National Tennis Centre, funding comprehensive court renovations every two years for nearly a decade. These efforts ensure that Ghanaian juniors train and compete on surfaces that meet international standards, reducing injury risks and elevating tactical development .
A Vision for Sports Diversification
The Minister’s visit comes amid a broader push by the NSA to promote all sporting disciplines. Mr Ampofo Ankrah has been vocal about the Authority’s mandate extending beyond football, noting that tennis ranks third globally in prize money, behind only golf and Formula One .
“One of our core mandates is to develop, organise, promote and manage sports. It is sports regardless of the discipline, and on this occasion it is tennis,” he said at a recent tennis event.
The NSA Director General has also emphasised the importance of investing in young athletes, describing tennis as a powerful sport with global economic significance.
Tournament Continues with J60 and J100 Stages
With the J30 events now complete, attention has shifted to the J60 Accra, which began on September 14 and runs until September 26. The tournament will conclude with the J100 Accra event, offering players progressively higher ranking points and stiffer competition.
For Ghanaian players, the event provides a rare advantage: the opportunity to compete at international standard on home soil, without the travel costs that often hinder participation in overseas tournaments.
The National Tennis Centre will continue to host matches daily from 08:00 to 18:00, offering spectators the chance to watch the next generation of tennis talent in action.
As the Minister departed the venue, his presence sent a clear message: Ghana’s sporting ambitions extend far beyond the football pitch, and the young athletes trading groundstrokes at the Accra Sports Stadium are part of a broader vision for national sporting excellence.
