At Golgotha Tennis Club, Paul Atanga takes on the “Resistance Tournament”

The name of the place is not insignificant. In the Christian tradition, the Golgotha It refers to the hill in Jerusalem associated with trial and endurance. Yaoundé , the capital of Cameroon, the Golgotha Tennis Club ( Tennis Club SIC Hippodrome ) hosted, on March 3 and 5, 2026, a sporting event that was reminiscent of this symbolism.

For two days, the site was the scene of an unusual attempt: Paul Atanga , Cameroon's Minister of the Interior, who had just celebrated his 65th birthday (born in February 1961), embarked on a physical challenge intended to be submitted to Guinness World Records .

The idea was simple in principle, but demanding in execution: to string together several matches of tennis facing former professional players, in climatic conditions exceeding 30 degrees, without breaks, without sitting down and without drinking.

The entire performance is currently being reviewed by the Guinness Book of Records which will have to determine whether the criteria necessary for approval have been met.

A sporting challenge against former stars of the circuit

For the occasion, several well-known former players from international tennis had made the trip. On the court, players took turns Cedric Pioline , former world number 4, the Moroccans Younes El Aynaoui , former 14th-ranked ATP player, and Hicham Arazi , former world number 9, as well as the Senegalese player Yahiya Doumbia .

The Cameroonian Aba Felix , a local tennis figure, was also among the opponents.

The first day, March 3rd, notably saw Paul Atanga to play three consecutive matches: against Cedric Pioline then Younes El Aynaoui before a third duel against Aba Felix .

Two days later, on March 5, the attempt continued with new matches, notably against Yahiya Doumbia et Hicham Arazi .

In total, several hours of tennis They followed one another in intense heat, in a format that was as much a physical challenge as a sporting experience.

Paul Atanga Nji, Cameroonian Minister of Tennis, Tennis Tournament

A setup similar to official competitions

In order to manage this record attempt, the organizers had put in place a relatively structured system.

The matches were refereed by Pascal Maria , former French international referee, and Hala Youssef Egyptian international referee. Tennis observers were also present, including Eric Tanga , representative of the FECATENNIS and member of the ITF and Thierry Ntwali , responsible for the development of the international federation for East and Central Africa.

The attempt was also witnessed by a Cameroonian bailiff, in the presence of a lawyer, in order to officially attest to the conduct of the meetings.

In the stands, several prominent figures from tennis were present. Among them, Yannick Noah , winner of Roland Garros in 1983, who observed part of the event.

The former champion highlighted the physical dimension of the exercise, noting that the player had neither drunk nor taken a break during the observed sequences.

NOAH TENNIS TENNIS AQUA TV TENNIS Tennis Tournament Paul Atanga Nji Cameroon Minister of Tennis

Paul Atanga Nji, Cameroon's tennis minister

A “resistance tournament”

As the day progressed, some spectators began to nickname the event the “ Resistance Tournament ".

The expression obviously referred to the idea of endurance While the veteran players could rest between their appearances on the court, Paul Atanga He remained standing and continued the exchanges, faithful to the rules he had imposed on himself.

This attempt was not the first. Four years earlier, a similar initiative had already been organized, but without seeking the approval of the Guinness World Records .

An unorthodox playing style

On a technical level, some observers have also noted a particular style of play.

The Cameroonian player does indeed use the same racket grip for the right hit , reverse , The flight and Service , a rather rare approach in the modern tennis , where the sockets are generally specialized.

This detail, while not decisive, contributed to giving these encounters an unexpected character at times.

The tournament ended with an “Aqua Tennis” session.

The final sequence took an even more unusual turn.

The organizers offered an activity called “ Aqua Tennis “: the court was deliberately watered with a lot of water, transforming the surface into a slippery terrain.

In these rather unusual conditions, the players played one last match. Between slips, unpredictable bounces and cautious movements, the scene aroused as many smiles as curiosity among the spectators.

TENNIS AQUA TV TENNIS Tennis Tournament Paul Atanga Nji Cameroon Minister of Tennis

A sporting gesture that raises questions.

Beyond the challenge itself, the event also raises a simpler observation: it remains relatively rare to see a political leader engage in this type of activity. public physical exercise .

Without seeking to draw any particular conclusion, some will simply see it as a sign of a passion for sport , and for the tennis in particular.

In a context where public officials often appear in institutional or protocol settings, this initiative at least had the merit of showing a different face.

And already discussions are taking place around padel.

Around the court, conversations sometimes also veered towards another rapidly growing discipline: the paddle .

Cameroon, and in particular Yaoundé already has some infrastructure dedicated to this sport, whose popularity continues to grow internationally.

Between tennis Sporting curiosity and international encounters, these two days at Golgotha Tennis Club In any case, they will have offered a unique moment in the local sporting landscape.

It remains to be seen whether this attempt to endurance will be officially recognized by the Guinness World Records .

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.