The Barefoot Tennis Player from Sierra Leone who turned professional

As a boy growing up in Freetown, Sam Jalloh became enamored with the Sierra Leone national tracksuit. He wasn’t particularly fashion conscious, but he was sporty, and he discovered that the only way he’d get one of those tracksuits was by learning to play tennis. Sam didn’t have shoes or equipment, so he played barefoot and fashioned a racquet out of plywood. Local coaches spotted Sam’s talent for tennis, but these were perilous times in Sierra Leone. The country was in the middle of a civil war, and before Sam could get his tracksuit, he found himself in the crosshairs of conflict. Sam’s written book is called How Tennis Saved my life.

This is an incredible and heartwarming story which shows what can be achieved in the face of adversity. A young man staring into the abyss of despair in a war-torn country shows determination and creativity to carve out a successful future.