Editor,

I was shocked to read that the country’s top tennis players had boycotted a recent tournament claiming the cash price was not lucrative enough. 

The corporate-sponsored tournament which took part late last month at Nyarutarama Tennis Club was meant to have attracted some the country’s best players such as Jean Claude Gasigwa and Olivier Nkunda, Mele Bizimana , all of whom did not participate.

The issue of money and sports is a contentious one, and there are arguments for and against it. But one thing that is undisputable is that money is a great motivator, even in sports. 

Teams that are well sponsored and managed tend to perform better than those that do not.  Think of the football wrangles in Kenya’s association and the National team’s performance and compare that with the management and performance of Amavumbi…no wonder we trounced them as we did. 

Although the tennis players love the game, I do not blame them for opting not to participate in a tournament that would not make it worth their while…financially.

Linda Keza
Remera