The Kenya Wheelchair tennis team have set their sights on qualifying for the Paralympic Games in Paris, France, next year.
In the hunt for a ticket to Paris, the team of Jane Ndenga, Phoebe Masika, Rajab Athman and Ibrahim Matano will play at this week's Africa Para Games in Ghana, a qualifier for the Paris Games.
Coach Lawrence Karanja said the team has been training at Nairobi Club for the last two months and he remains confident of posting good results in Ghana.
“We are looking forward to the tournament. The winner qualifies for the Paralympic Games in Paris and there are also ranking points at stake," added Karanja, noting that they have ironed out some weaknesses they had.
"We have worked on our service game and movement on the court as well as instilling confidence in the players... that they can deliver."
Karanja, however, believes the team will need to play in more tournaments to be competitive.
"The tournaments are few and far between and I believe getting some more in a calendar year will be crucial going forward,” added Karanja.
Team Kenya's last competitive tournament was in Turkey in March 2022, where they lost to Morocco, South Africa and Nigeria in straight sets (3-0).
Ndenga, Kenya's highest-ranked wheelchair tennis player, said the tournament offers an opportunity to play and test themselves against the best on the continent.
“It's good to test ourselves against top teams and know where we are. Our motivation is, of course, to play at the Olympics next year in Paris," said Ndenga.
Team Kenya will face the likes of Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Morocco, and hosts Ghana.
Karanja observes: "Morocco are the team to watch but it's quite a competitive tournament. We will be going all out to prove ourselves."
The team landed in Accra on Sunday.
