Rwandan tennis player Emmy Mugisha has vowed to break into the world’s top 500 players as he continues to prepare for his move to the Extreme Tennis Academy in Egypt.

The 20-year-old joins the Egyptian academy next month.

"I want to be a top player, become a professional in years ahead,” he told Times Sport.

Mugisha started to play in 2011, at age of 9, after recovering from injury he had picked while playing football the previous year. He wanted a non-contact (individual) sport.

"The injury scored me off football; that is how I ended up in tennis. I was looking for a non-contact sport,” he recalls. 

After several years of hard work in the junior and youth ranks, Mugisha earned a scholarship at IPRC Kigali Tennis Academy in 2018 and kept impressing. As a result, he says, he has now landed the opportunity to be part of the Extreme Tennis Academy in Egypt. 

Lack of competitions, qualified trainers and facilities propelled Mugisha to look for opportunities abroad. 

"It is still difficult to get serious competitions in Rwanda, and tennis facilities and coaches are also insufficient. Training and competing in Egypt will help me step up my game faster,” he noted.

Asked about his ambitions in Egypt, Mugisha said: "I want to be among the best 500 tennis players in the world and participate in as many international competitions as possible.”