TENNIS is not Rwanda’s most popular sport but over the last 15 years, it has produced some notable names like Eric Hagenimana, Noheli Hakizimana, Dieudonne Habiyambere and current top seed Jean Claude Gasigwa.

In today’s issue, Saturday Sport profiles Rwanda’s number two, Dieudonne Habiyambere. Habiyambere was born in 1982 in Rugunga cell, Nyarugenge sector, Nyarugenge district in the City of Kigali to Andrea Hamissi and Catherine Ngangura, both deceased.

The tennis star who hails from a family of six children lost his father in 2009, four years after his mother passed away in 2005.

The 31-year-old Habiyambere is a proud father.

 "I’m married and God has blessed me with two children (boys). My family comes before anything else,” he told Saturday Sport.

The tennis star attended Mburabutoro primary school before joining ETO Muhima for Ordinary level (O’level) studies. After finishing senior three, Habiyambere swapped school with tennis.

Currently, Habiyambere is ranked second in Rwanda behind Gasigwa. Olivier Nkunda comes third; Mubarak Harerimana is ranked fourth, while Mathieu Uwizeyimana is ranked 5th.

Early days

Habiyambere used to play football during his school days but had a tough start in tennis.

However, living near a tennis club (Cercle Sportif de Kigali) helped him  to slowly fit in. 

"In the beginning, I had to first impress the club officials and coaches so that they can allow me to play without having to pay money because I was not able to raise the monthly fee for members,” he recalls.

When he was barely 15 years old in 1997, Habiyambere was allowed to join the club.

Junior career

It did not take long for him impress and before he knew it, he was called-up in the national junior team after performing well in the locally organised juniors’ tournaments.

As a junior, Habiyambere featured for the national team for three years in various ITF/ Africa junior champions in Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa.

His last junior competition appearance was the 2000 ITF/ Africa junior competition staged in Kampala, Uganda where he was knocked-out in the quarter-finals.

Senior career

In 2001, Habiyambere joined the senior level but was not part of the national senior tennis team until 2009 when he received his first call-up.

He says, spending eight years not in the national team doesn’t mean he was not active, but rather because there were better and experienced elite players on the scene back then.

They included the likes of Eric Hagenimana (currently based in USA), Noheli Hakizimana (based in Senegal), Jean Bosco Ngabonziza (based in Belgium) and Jean Pierre Nshimiyimana, among others.

In 2009, Habiyambere alongside Gasigwa, Hagenimana and Nshimiyimana represented Rwanda in the Davis Cup tournament in Armenia. Rwanda finished fifth out of eight countries. Rwanda and Botswana were the only African nations in the competition.

Major silverware

In 2010, he won Rwanda Development Bank (BRD)tennis tournament among other local titles he clinched in that year.

Habiyambere teamed up with Olivier Nkunda to win the ITF/CAT Money circuit title in the doubles’ category, while the singles’ title went to Gasigwa.

Habiyambere won the second-leg of ITF/CAT Money circuit after beating Kenya’s Francis Rogoi 7-6 7-6 in the final but lost in the final in doubles’ category to Kenyan pair of Gilbert Kibet and Rogoi. He was also beaten in quarter-finals of Uganda Open in singles but won the doubles title with Nkunda.

The pair of Habiyambere and Nkunda is the four-time ITF/CAT Money circuit doubles champions since 2010.

In 2011, Habiyambere beat his close friend and archrival Gasigwa to win the first-leg tournament of ITF/CAT Money circuit title in Kigali in singles as one of the achievements of the year.

He was also part of Rwanda’s team that featured at the 2011 All Africa Games held in Maputo, Mozambique. Gasigwa, Mathieu Uwizeyimana and Anatole Bizimana complete the four-man team.

In 2012, Gasigwa revenged on him to win his sixth ITF/CAT money circuit title but Habiyambere won doubles title at the Uganda Open alongside Nkunda. He also won the BRD tourney in the same year.

In 2013, he lost to Gasigwa in Uganda Open singles’ final.

Habiyambere was also part of Rwanda’s team that played the international Davis Cup tournament held in Cairo, Egypt. Rwanda finished ninth out of 18 countries. Gasigwa, Mubarak Harerimana and Hamissi Gatete completed the four-player team.

Last year, he was brushed aside in the singles semi-finals of ITF/CAT Money prize circuit but his pair with Olivier Nkunda won the doubles’ category.

So far this year, he like everyone else in Rwanda has not played any competition but training goes on. "I haven’t played in any local or international competition this year but I’m training hard as we’re waiting for this calendar of competitions,” he explained.

Retirement plans

Asked when he plans to retire from semi-professional playing, he said, "Right now I’m focusing on my career and to keep my form high, but maybe in two or three years, I’ll have to retire and enter into coaching or do something else.”

The right-hander, who has never reached Rwanda’s number one position, attributed his raise from an unknown small ball-boy at Cercle Sportif de Kigali to his current ranking of number of two, to his former coaches Sylvain Rutikanga, Lycie Hamissi and Thierry Ntwali.

"They helped me a lot since I was a junior and they still advise me every day. I also take this moment to thank the media, they have also played a role in my rise to the top,” he noted.