By Randy Walker
@TennisPublisher
Will John McEnroe do what Arthur Ashe did and discover the next Yannick Noah in Africa?
Forty-years after Noah’s celebrated and historic win at the French Open in 1983 after being discovered as a young child in Africa by Arthur Ashe, John McEnroe and his brother Patrick will be traveling to Tanzania on a tourist tour where they will interact with locals, tutor young tennis talent and play the first-ever tennis match in the Serengeti. With attention focused this year on Noah and his amazing ascent from a village in Cameroon to holding the Coupe des Mousquetaires, it is interesting to wonder if a similar talent and discovery could come out of Africa and be discovered by McEnroe?
“The kid looked like a tennis prospect, but he was a long way from anywhere that tennis meant anything…and he didn’t have a racket…just a board that he’d fashioned into the shape of a racket,” wrote Bud Collins in “The Bud Collins History of Tennis” of a young Noah and his discovery. “It was 1971 in Yaounde, Cameroon, West Africa, and a lucky day for 11-year-old Yannick Simone Camille Noah because Arthur Ashe was in town, stopping by on a U.S. State Department good will tour. So here were two future Hall of Famers, meeting for the first time, at a tennis demonstration, Ashe presiding. Learning that Noah was a French citizen, born May 18, 1960, in Sedan, France, of a French mother and a professional soccer-playing Cameroonian father, Ashe was impressed by the very athletic-looking kid. Arthur gave Yannick a racket, wondering if he would like to get some help with his tennis. Yes. Thus, Ashe contacted his friend (also a future Hall of Famer), Philippe Chatrier, head of the French Tennis Federation, recommending that Noah get proper coaching. Zip! He was whisked off to Paris, eventually to become the most popular French player since the Four Musketeers (Borotra, Brugnon, Cochet, Lacoste) were winning the Davis Cup, 1927-32.”
Noah, famously, became iconic in tennis history with his victory at Roland Garros in 1983. His 6-2, 7-5, 7-6 (3) final-round win over defending champion Mats Wilander marked the first win by a French man at Roland Garros in 37 years, since Marcel Bernard won in Paris in 1946 in the first edition of the event after World War II.
The McEnroe tennis tour of Tanzania (go to www.EpicTanzaniaTour.com for more info) will be December 1-8, 2023 and will include an historic tennis match between the McEnroe brothers in the midst of the Serengeti, one of Africa’s most iconic safari destinations. Unmatched wildlife, local cultures and stunning landscapes combine to produce what is often described as the holiday of a lifetime and coupled with celebrity tennis professionals as hosts—this is truly a once in a lifetime experience. The itinerary includes the best Tanzania’s National Parks including the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti which are home to the Big Five as well as numerous birds and reptiles. Guests will also join John and Patrick when they visit a traditional Maasai Village to bring good will and cultural exchange and introduce the Maasai youth to the game of tennis as part of a special court dedication.
Travelers will enjoy African hospitality while staying at the Four Seasons Serengeti, And Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge and the Gran Melia. This bucket list tour package includes all gourmet meals on an all-inclusive basis, domestic air, almost daily Safari game drives in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, a welcome reception hosted by the President of Tanzania, tennis themed activities and memories to last a lifetime. Tennis fans will not want to miss this historic moment in tennis history. This is a once-in-a-lifetime expedition to one of the most majestic landscapes on the planet with tennis legends.
To learn more or join the tour, please visit: www.EpicTanzaniaTour.com
