Kevin Cheruiyot attributes his growth in his tennis career to his fast learning abilities as he looks forward to making a fifth appearance at the annual Davis Cup starting tomorrow at Nairobi Club.
Cheruiyot made his debut at the tournament in 2013 at age 15, which he avers that it is one of his career milestone.
Playing alongside creme de la creme of Kenyan tennis including Ismael Changawa, Ibrahim Kibet and Albert Njogu, Cheruiyot is confident they will do better than last year in Davis Cup. He added that training together for a longer period has helped them polish up on their skill as a unit.
"We have been together for two months and have been training extensively. Last year, we met three weeks prior to the tournament and we still qualified. Our exposure in Spain and Morocco this year has been great and I believe we can take the win again,” he said.
Cheruiyot, 21, alluded that his team has been one of his greatest support. At the age of 12 and after suffering an elbow injury off court, he made a quick irrational decision to quit tennis but it turned out to be a sabbatical.
It took the intervention of his teammates—Changawa and Kibet— together with his grandfather to bring him back to court and soon after, he was at par with his teammates.
“I was the youngest but I was very good. I am a fast learner and so even after staying away for a year, I was back like I never left. I have come a long way with my team and that means a lot to me. We understand one another and we are able to uplift one another. Our cohesiveness, I believe is an added advantage to how our outcome will be," he noted.
A native of Taita Taveta County, Cheruiyot hopes to participate in the Grand Slam competitions including Australia Open, French Open, US Open and Wimbledon in his tennis career. Through this, Cheruiyot believes he will influence young kids to get involved in the tennis sport. He lauded his late grandfather for pushing him to explore his talent in tennis.
“My grandfather told me that I would be one of the best players in Kenya and that I would also do well internationally.
"I carry those words with me everyday because even when I quit, he still pushed me to play.
"I eventually hope to participate in the Grand Slam competitions and be an inspiration to the young kids. My focus for tomorrow's tournament is to take it to the next level.” Cheruiyot added.
