Tennis Academy Kenya

FOUNDING TENNIS ACADEMY IN KENYA

In this blog, we pay homage to The JD tennis academy Kenya. The place where the coaches and founders of iQ Tennis Academy Kenya cut their teeth. This is where they were first introduced to the game of tennis, the dynamics of the game, the traditions, coaching and how to approach Tennis and the business of Tennis the right way.

The founder of JD Tennis Academy Kenya, Mr. Jim Davies, was extremely passionate about the game of Tennis in Kenya. He set out to train kids from low-income areas free of charge and also charged subsidized rates for locals. A good number of those students are now some of the top coaches of Tennis in Kenya. Indeed, he was the grandfather of Tennis in Kenya and his “grandchildren” are keeping the game alive.

HISTORY OF JD TENNIS ACADEMY KENYA

JD Tennis Academy Kenya was first registered in 1975 though it started unofficially when the founder, Jim Davies (JD), moved in to a property on Ndemi Road, Nairobi, Kenya in 1963. At that time the Academy had only one tennis court – a murrum court. This is where JD trained many aspiring players and later great champions of tennis in Kenya.

Eventually, JD set up three hard courts and a club house in 1987 in preparation for the 4th all African games staged in Nairobi Kenya. These were the best décor turf tennis courts in the region, the pride of Jim Davies.

Jim Davies was a busy business man, with many business interests, but he always found time for his passion – teaching and playing tennis. He also served in the Kenya Lawn Tennis Association in many different capacities to that of chairman till 1996. Later he served as an honorary member until his passing in 2012.

JD Tennis Academy Kenya trained and coached many top junior and senior players over the years. It had among the best professional Tennis staff in the country; providing tennis services to all kind of people and of all ages and levels.

Over the years, the academy opened its doors to the under privileged in society, especially the slums, giving coaching scholarships.

The Academy worked closely with the Kenya lawn tennis association, which used its facilities to train national teams and whenever they got stuck during the rainy season while hosting international tournaments.

When it came to tournaments, the JD Tennis Academy Kenya had been at the forefront of running junior events. One of the tournaments ran for over 17 years and the other for over 7 years. Those junior events, coca cola sponsored had been a traditional K.L.T.A curtain raiser and attracted players from all over the counties and from different countries.

In addition, JD Tennis also hosted the Madaraka day and Wanjiku Ngaruiya sponsored tournaments. These 2 were among the most popular events in the junior calendar in Nairobi and Kenya as a whole, especially being hard court surface.

Wanjiku Ngaruiya was a very successful junior who also played senior tennis and has decided to give back to tennis after seeing the benefits tennis can provide in life, although no longer an active player, she still had tennis very close to her heart.

During his life involvement in tennis spanning over a period of over 60 years, Jim Davies served the K.L.T.A on many capacities, from member of the council to chairman, captain of team Kenya, referee white badge, tournament director and many more, his achievements, some documented and many more lie in the minds of those who served with him, he gave to tennis like no other sports man in any discipline will ever offer, selflessly.

LEGACY OF JD TENNIS ACADEMY KENYA

His legacy lives on because people of all walks in Kenya still enjoy the game of Tennis as a direct result of his efforts. The JD Tennis Academy, whilst it was shut down, set the foundation for a new crop of tennis academies like the iQ Tennis Academy Nairobi Kenya, which have continued in his footsteps.

To keep updated with what iQ Tennis Academy Kenya is doing follow us on our social media:

INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/iqtennis.co.ke
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/iqtennis.co.ke

#tennislessonsnairobi #tennislessonskenya #tenniskenya

—-