By Dadson A. Musa

After years in the shadows, tennis is staging a triumphant return in Sierra Leone. With a drawn-out Supreme Court battle finally dismissed, the Sierra Leone Tennis Association (SLTA), under new president Andy Bam, is reigniting the sport with a national competition set to grip Freetown from April 14 to 26, 2025.

Four venues Lord Tennis Court, Wilberforce Tennis Court, Golf Course Tennis Court, and Hill Station Tennis Court will host twelve clubs from across the country. Spanning nearly two weeks, the tournament welcomes players from under-12s to veterans, with men and women vying for cash, medals, and trophies. Sierra Leone Brewery, Sierra Rutile Limited, Cafe Mia, and CEMMATS Group

Limited headline a robust slate of sponsors fueling the comeback.

The road to revival wasn’t easy, I nearly pushed this to next year, Bam admitted, citing the costly legal saga that drained the SLTA’s coffers, but we couldn’t let tennis fade further talent was slipping away, his resolve hardened: the lull ends now, this is about saving the game and our youth, he said, nodding to Sierra Leone’s global tennis beacon, U.S. star Frances Tiafoe, whose roots trace back to this soil.

Bam’s vision to harness tennis as a force against drugs and delinquency has rallied heavyweights like the National Sports Authority, the National Olympic Committee, and the Ministry of Sports. The stakes? Unearthing the next Tiafoe while rekindling a national passion.

From April’s first serve, the courts will buzz with promise kids swinging rackets, veterans trading volleys, and a sport clawing back from neglect. For Bam and the SLTA, it’s more than a tournament; it’s a lifeline to lift tennis from the doldrums and inspire a generation. Sierra Leone’s racquets are ready game on.