ACCRA, Ghana — Roger Crawford, President of Tennis Foundation Ghana (TFG), believes Ghana has the talent to produce players capable of competing at the highest level of international tennis — but says sustained competition, opportunities and development are essential to turning that potential into reality.
Crawford, who also serves as Tournament Director of the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors events in Accra, has made player development the centrepiece of his work with TFG.
His ambition is clear: to see a Ghanaian player reach the highest levels of world tennis.
“Soon we will have a broad base of very good tennis players and then we will have the best of the best. I’m very hopeful of a very great future for Ghana tennis,” Crawford said.
Bringing international tennis to Ghana
For Crawford, international competition on home soil is a crucial part of that journey.
The Tennis Foundation Ghana Open brings junior players from Ghana, across Africa and beyond to Accra, giving young athletes the opportunity to compete for international ranking points without carrying the full financial and logistical burden of travelling overseas.
“The ITF tournament is necessary right now because we don’t have many competitions at that level for Ghanaians or even West African juniors,” Crawford said.
“So having the ITF event here is a sure gateway to the global tennis community.”
But the tournaments are about more than trophies and rankings.
The exposure can give young players valuable experience while opening doors to professional tennis, university scholarships and other opportunities.
Tennis and education
Crawford also believes the development of a young tennis player must go hand in hand with education.
“It is a must that children who play in our competitions are enrolled in schools because school and tennis go hand in hand,” he said. “If you want to be a good tennis player, you have to be a good student.”
That philosophy is reflected in the TFG Academy, which combines tennis development with education and has expanded beyond Accra, with annexes in Tamale, Bolgatanga, Apirede and Ntranoa.
For Crawford, however, the ultimate goal is bigger than producing professional players.
“Tennis will open the world to you, you will have the world at your feet,” he said, highlighting the opportunities the sport can create in education, coaching, business and other fields.
Building with what is available
Crawford also believes Ghanaian tennis must build sustainably rather than depend entirely on external financial support.
“Our approach is not sitting down and waiting for financial support all the time because that approach doesn’t work,” he said. “I believe in starting with the little that we have, and then growing it. If people like what we’ve done they will come and support.”
That philosophy has seen TFG explore activities beyond tournaments, including tennis equipment, events, hospitality and other revenue-generating initiatives aimed at supporting its programmes.
The organisation has hosted annual ITF competitions in Ghana since 2018, helping create a platform where Ghanaian and West African juniors can experience international-level competition closer to home.
A brighter future for Ghanaian tennis
As another edition of the ITF junior circuit unfolds in Accra, Crawford’s challenge is to turn individual opportunities into a sustainable national pathway.
Young players need regular competition, quality coaching, education, facilities and support to progress from promising juniors to international-level athletes.
For Crawford, the foundations are already being laid.
“I will say on behalf of Tennis Foundation Ghana that the future is bright for Ghana’s tennis,” he said.
The immediate tournaments will produce winners and ranking points. Crawford’s longer-term ambition is much bigger to build a system capable of producing Ghanaian players who can eventually stand among the best in world tennis.
The journey, he believes, has already begun.
Samuel Kwame Boadu is a Ghanaian media entrepreneur and storyteller with a passion for amplifying urban voices and uncovering everyday truths. He is the Editor-in-Chief and Founder of The Accra Daily Mail, a dynamic digital platform dedicated to capturing the pulse of Ghana’s capital—its people, culture, challenges, business, sports and innovations.
