Mugabe gets Roke backing
Roke Telkom CEO Michael Mukasa (C) and Marketing Manager Grace Namutebi soon after handing over sponsorship worth Shs12m to Mugabe (R) in Nakawa. PHOTO BY JB SSENKUBUGE
What you need to know:
Tennis. The top seed is tired of being a journeyman and wants to be a regular on the international circuits.
KAMPALA. Many a local tennis critic say Duncan Mugabe has stalled. But Uganda’s number one tennis ace believes he still has the legs to push for more.
When the reigning Nile Special/Uspa Tennis Player of the Year left the High Performance Centre in Pretoria – South Africa in 2009, Uganda Lawn Tennis Association (ULTA) and the fraternity were delighted with how Mugabe had matured. But in a region starved of competitive and intense action, the 25-year-old found himself largely inactive and more so blunt on his travels which came once in a blue moon.
“I have never stopped dreaming and working hard,” said Mugabe soon after receiving a Shs12m package from Roke Telkom from CEO Michael Mukasa and Marketing Manager Grace Namutebi at their headquarters in Nakawa Business Park earlier this week.
“I was inactive before because I didn’t have the funds to travel for events. Uganda Olympic Committee, NCS and tennis members have been helping here and there.
But with Roke Telkom coming on board, this could be the beginning of other corporates to come on board as well.” Mugabe’s last major achievement was winning bronze at the 2011 All Africa Games in Maputo but that triumph was masked by mediocrity and a spate of inactivity for over four years now.
“I have been on the road since last year. Sponsors have been hard to get but I thank Roke because with their package I am going to play more events. I have already lowered my ranking by 900 places and I want be in the top 400 soon,” said four-time Uspa Tennis Player of the Year.
Roke Telkom’s Mukasa highlighted the company’s determination to help Mugabe grow from strength to strength as the latter seeks to become a mainstay on the ATP and ITF circuit. “Mugabe defines the state of tennis in Uganda. We want to help the game grow through Mugabe. His success will impact on the younger generation and forthwith help tennis back on its feet as one of the leading sports in the country,” Mukasa, whose company were also co-sponsors during the Uganda Open, added.
QUICK GLANCE AT MUGABE
Full name: Duncan Mugabe
Age: 25 (Nov 27, 1990)
Plays: Right-handed (double-backhand)
Current Singles Ranking: 972
Career High Singles: 659 (Nov. 2009)
Current Doubles Ranking: 814
Career High Doubles: 721 (Sept. 2015)
Singles Year End (2015): 1186
Doubles Year End (2015): 754
Upcoming events: June 12-18: Maputo
June 18-25: Nairobi June 25-30: Goma
