Uganda Lobbies To Be On Williamses Tour

Jun 26, 2003

WORLD number one tennis player Serena Williams could include Uganda on her voyage to Africa later in the year.

By Mark Namanya
WORLD number one tennis player Serena Williams could include Uganda on her voyage to Africa later in the year.
The hard-hitting player, currently competing at Wimbledon, traces some of her tennis roots from an American couple that visited Uganda in January to conduct coaching clinics.
Experts Kelly and Joan Gunterman are close friends of Richard Williams, the father of both Serena and her elder sister Venus Williams, who is world number two.
Bukoto east member of parliament Alintuma Nsambu, an ardent tennis fan, first met the Guntermans in the US last year and revealed to The New Vision how he discussed the possibility of a Williams’ visit.
Kelly, says Nsambu, trained Williams senior, who later inspired his two daughters en route to becoming the best players on the WTA tour.
“They had short-listed us among the countries. I can not tell whether they are going to come but I will contact them (the Guntermans) about it next week,” he added.
Reports from Wimbledon say Serena named South Africa, Ghana and Ivory Coast among African countries she intends to visit.
“I hear people of my race say once they went to Africa, it was an awakening experience for them,” said the 21-year old.
Serena’s visit will not be the first by a world-class tennis star in Uganda.
American legend Arthur Ashe, the first black man to win Wimbledon and the US Open grand slams, played at Lugogo in 1970.
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