Ilie Nastase, Yannick Noah, Mansour Bahrami to Play Legends Event in Rwanda

Tennis -will be among the tennis legends expected to take part in the 2019 International Tennis Show in Rwanda in September.

The show, which is expected to last one week, will be held at the Nyarutarama Tennis Club, Amahoro Stadium and Cercle Sportif de Kigali tennis courts. This is the third edition of the legends event in Africa with the first two being held in Tunis, Tunisia.

Speaking to The New Times Publications, Nastase commented, We are organizing the tennis show in Kigali to give a push to the development of tennis in Rwanda, and get kids to love the sport from a young age, while possibilities to what they can become are still limitless.

Kassim Ntageruka, the Rwanda Tennis Federation president, said the event would be a huge boost to local players and the tennis federation and would help promote the sport in the country. The event would feature exhibition matches involving the legends and younger players as well.

Nastase has won more than 100 ATP titles, including 58 in singles and is one of the more popular players on the legends circuit, along with Bahrami, who has become a household name among tennis fans for his showmanship skills on the court.

Yannick Noah won the French Open in 1983, becoming the first Frenchman in nearly 40 years to win his home Grand Slam. Santoro and El Aynaoui are among the players from the more recent generation who have retired and will compete on the show.

Santoro is second in the list for most appearances in a Grand Slam event behind the Swiss legend Roger Federer while Al Aynaoui is a former top 20 player from Morocco.