Words by Bailey Alexander
With head coach Arum Akom at its helm, Butterfly Tennis Club are producing the next stars of tennis.
Arum Akom is 24 with a resumé that already precedes him. At a young age he knew a life without tennis wasn’t ever going to be an option for him: playing tennis was the only dream he had ever had. Beginning his coaching journey in 2015, over the past few years Akom’s talent has been co-signed by a couple of big names such as Fila and Lacoste. Now, playing the role of head coach at the Butterfly Tennis Club in Camberwell, Arum Akom is training a whole new generation of tennis talent.
At the community sports club, Akom has committed himself to making tennis a viable sport for all. He says his job is to find a space for every player to progress regardless of skill, hoping to be a part of the movement that will open up tennis to people from different backgrounds, and in doing so make it a more diverse sport.
Akom says tennis in its purest form is all about adaptability, a notion he’s had to wrestle with once or twice over the past few years. On the court, Akom explains that “the game is constantly changing: the ball can do so many different things, your opponent can do so many different things, you’ve got changing conditions that you really have to take into consideration”. In any game, Akom has to be on his feet, ready to adapt to any change, and his talent for this has helped him overcome other less fun obstacles off the court: COVID, lockdowns, and a shortage of tennis spaces for the players he mentors.
Now, he’s back on the court and in full swing, honing the talent of BTC’s recruits. He’s extremely modest in taking responsibility for his players’ talent noting that, in tennis, the ability to improve is all on yourself and you have to work out how to be your own leader. Still, during the lockdowns, Akom took charge, keeping his players active by encouraging them to do tennis exercises at home. Now, with the whole world outside again, the talent that Arum Akom trains are true stars in the making, with the same drive, discipline, and determination as their coach.
Akom
Age: 24
Started playing: Age 9
How they found tennis: Started at the local tennis club three minutes away from his house, joining a group of kids at Saturday morning sessions.
Favourite tennis players: Barry Bartley, Serena Williams, Carlos Alcaraz, Ons Jabeur
Junior
Age: 30
Started playing: 2007
How they found tennis: “My mum introduced me to weekend tennis activities. I made friends from there and soon started competing around the UK”.
Tennis career highlight: Competing at a division 1 level in the USA at a HBCU (Historically Black College University).
Favourite tennis player: Roger Federer
Jennae
Age: 17
Started playing: 2009
How they found tennis: “I started playing at a little club on weekends for fun for a few years, then I started to enjoy it, grew a passion for it and decided I wanted to to make a career of it aged 8”.
Tennis career highlight: Travelling to ITFs and getting to see different levels, different countries, and enjoying new experiences.
Favourite tennis players: Serena Williams, Alexander Zverev, Roger Federer, and Nick Kyrgios.
Rohan
Age: 26
Started playing: Age 8
How they found tennis: Rohan grew to love tennis after his time playing cricket. Over the years he played tournaments all over the UK and did well winning county cups and representing Berkshire on several occasions.
What’s been your tennis career highlight: Winning county cups, being awarded a Division 1 scholarship in the sport and moving Chicago where he studied finance and business management.
Favourite tennis player: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal
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