RWANDA’s number one tennis player Jean Claude Gasigwa is one of the country’s most famous sportsmen after seven years at the helm of the game.

The 30-year-old Gasigwa started playing tennis in 1999 after a good Samaritan adopted him following the death of his parents during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Gentil Venerad Garuka a tennis player at Kigali Sports Center is the Good Samaritan who adopted and groomed Gasigwa into a tennis star.

"I will always be grateful to Venerad Garuka; he is like a father to me, apart from giving me the fish, he also taught me how to fish. I’m who I am today because of him,” Gasigwa said.

Gasigwa, who started playing tennis at age of 15, never featured in the national youth or junior teams.

Senior career

It was still a dream until 2003, when the soft spoken Gasigwa received his call –up in the senior national men’s tennis team at the age 20.

His first tournament was the Davis Cup 2003 in Mombasa, Kenya but the Rwandan team led by former number one Hagenimana did not perform well in the competition.

"2003 marked my breakthrough as a tennis player. Playing or representing your country in any international competition is every sportsman’s dream. That’s when mine came true,” he recalls.

Since making his maiden appearance in the national team, Gasigwa has been a permanent fixture and continues to represent Rwanda in various international and regional competitions like Uganda Open, Kenya Open, ITF/ Cash Money circuit, Davis Cup and ITF Men’s futures among others.

The 7-time ITF/ Money circuit champion was part of Rwanda’s Davis Cup team in seven different editions of 2003 in Mombasa (Kenya), 2004 in Moldavia, 2005 in San Marino, 2006 in Moldavia again, 2007 in Kampala (Uganda), 2008 in Gaborone (Botswana), 2009 in Turkey and 2013 in Cairo, Egypt.

Rwanda was banned by Davis Cup organisers for three years (2010, 2011 and 2012) after pulling out of the 2010 edition due to what Gasigwa calls mistakes made by the local tennis federation that was then chaired by Francois Ruterana.

Rwanda, classified in the Euro/Africa Zone of Group 3 holds a record of the best performance at the international tournament in 2009 edition when the country finished seventh and gained promotion from Group IV to III.

Gasigwa holds the record of winning the ITF/Money circuit tournament seven times having won the first in 2007 and the seventh in 2013 at Novotel Hotel.

The experienced tennis star is also a two-time champion of the Uganda Open of 2009 and 2013, a one-time winner of Kenya Open in 2008 and is a beaten semi-finalist in 2010 and finalist in 2013 losing to Uganda’s elite Duncan Mugabe.

He also holds the Goma (DR Congo) Open title of 2012 among other foreign titles. Locally, he has won uncountable titles in the last ten years.

This month, Rwanda’s top seed was shocked in the semi-final at the hands of number four Olivier Havugimana, who went on to win the inaugural Axiome tournament staged at Kigali Sports Center.

His tennis career did not help him win titles but also enabled him to travel around the world. He travelled to France, Turkey, San Marino, Moldavia, Egypt, Botswana and all regional countries.

Future plans

Still single, the 30-year-old Gasigwa has turned his attention on the forthcoming Real Insurance Kenya Open Championship set for June 15-22.

He’s also looking forward to this year’s Devis Cup to be hosted by Egypt, ITF/Money circuits and ITF Men’s futures late this year among other tournaments.

Who is Gasigwa?

Gasigwa was born on July 8, 1983 to Azarias Karangwa and Catheline Mukagatare in Gikondo, Kicukiro District, Kigali. He comes from a family of five children but unfortunately all his siblings have since passed on. He is the only one still alive from his family.

His parents, a brother and two sisters were killed during the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi. A sister who survived the Genocide also passed away in 2011 in a car accident.

"Life is hard and at times tasteless; I lost my family when I needed them most. I’ll always do everything to honor and make them proud wherever they are,” Gasigwa told Saturday Sport with grief.

Gasigwa attended Gikondo primary school before switching to ETEL Gikondo for secondary school. After finishing senior one, he dropped out of school to focus on the tennis career.