Mozambique's Edilson Rosa may well be a star in the making after hitting the headlines by winning back-to-back ITF World Tennis Tour junior titles and jumping nearly 600 places in the world rankings.  

The 16-year-old conquered all before him at J30 Maputo – his nation’s capital city and his place of birth – before lifting silverware at the same venue a week later. He also won the doubles at the second J30 Maputo event alongside Angola’s Daniel Domingos.  

It was an important moment for Rosa but also Mozambique itself. Rosa is the first player – boy or girl – from Mozambique to win an ITF junior singles title for more than 30 years, since Laura Nhavene in the early 1990s. Incidentally, Laura's nephew Bruno won three ITF junior doubles titles in 2019. 

“This was the result of a lot of work and the belief that it is possible to do better if you do everything with your head held high,” said Rosa, who is now ranked No. 633 in the ITF World Tennis Tour boys’ rankings but wants to be within the Top 400 by the end of the year.  

“There is always the hope that tomorrow is another day and the mistakes and setbacks of today can be overcome. I hope this is just the beginning and the future will be even better.” 

Development  

Rosa was introduced to tennis through the ITF’s Junior Tennis Initiative (JTI), which provides opportunities for children around the world to pick up a racket for the first time. 

The JTI encourages children to play in locally organised competitions and sessions within schools, the community and tennis venues with enjoyment the main priority.  

From there, the JTI is often the launch point for many aspiring competitive players and a platform to introduce more talent to the game through a country’s national development programme.  

Indeed, Rosa's first taste of tennis through the JTI was on the courts of the Jardim Tunduru – the same place where he triumphed at J30 Maputo recently.  

In the intervening period, Rosa proved himself to be one of the finest emerging talents in Southern Africa with impressive performances at series of ITF/Confederation of African Tennis events.  

Through his achievements and hard work, Rosa last year earned a scholarship from the ITF and was part of the first intake of players to train and study full-time at the African Regional Training Centre in Sousse, Tunisia. 

“It has been truly remarkable to witness the journey of Edilson – a kid with real grit, a positive attitude and resilience,” said Tapiwa Masunga, the ITF’s Development Officer for Southern Africa. “He is a true inspiration and ambassador for young Mozambican players. 

“As a youngster, he lived and went to school five minutes walking distance from the courts of Jardim Tunduru, which provided him the opportunity to learn tennis through the JTI, where he was discovered and had access to coaching.  

“I first recall seeing him play in Zimbabwe in 2018 when he was 10 years old and represented Mozambique at the ITF/CAT 12-and-under regional team competition, and later that year at a national training camp in Mozambique.   

“I knew this was a young player to keep a close eye on. Federação Moçambicana de Ténis, coaches and the tennis community in Mozambique have continued to support him whenever needed. 

“They go all out for him and other players who would otherwise not have the means to develop. It is a testament to the behind-the-scenes work that is done by national associations and stakeholders across Africa, despite limited resources, to complement the work of the ITF.” 

The future 

Rosa is extremely grateful for the opportunity to train and study at the African Regional Training Centre in Sousse where he has access to one of the best competitive tennis environments in Africa.  

He has access to ITF World Tennis Tour men’s and junior events throughout the year, which allow him to compete at a high level without the need to travel. This simply would not have been the case had he remained in Mozambique. 

Training with like-minded individuals from around Africa and experienced coaches has provided the teenager with a truly holistic experience as his game continues to develop.  

Rosa hopes his time in Tunisia will increase the prospect of him attaining a scholarship to play collegiate tennis in the United States and work his way into professional tennis from there. 

A talented youngster with a bright future ahead – good luck, Edilson.

Further information on the ITF's Junior Tennis Initiative can be found here