ATP Tour

Moez Echargui: Blazing a trail as Africa’s top-ranked men’s tennis player

At the age of 29 in December 2022, Moez Echargui, then the No. 356 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, found himself at a crossroads.

Based in Tunisia, Echargui had spent the past seven years making steady progress on the ATP Challenger and ITF World Tenis Tour circuits. The University of Nevada graduate, who has a degree in computer science, had two options: Quit tennis and find a corporate job or relocate to Milan to go all in on his tennis career.

Echargui’s algorithm, optimised by his inner child, the starry-eyed 10-year-old kid from La Marsa whose tennis journey began after chancing upon a stray tennis ball while playing football, guided him towards continuing playing tennis.

“A lot of people were questioning me if it was a good idea or not,” Echargui, now 33, said. “To leave everything behind, especially at a late age, and start from scratch. It gets really hard on you when you’re far from your family.”

Fast forward to 2026, the Tunisian is now Africa’s top-ranked men’s player at No. 139 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

“It’s such a privilege for me to be number one in Africa,” he said. “It came after such a long period, so many years of injuries, difficult moments. I played my first Slam at 33 years old. It’s never too late to chase your dreams.”

Success did not come instantly for Echargui, even while receiving elite-level training at the MXP Academy under coach Paolo Moretti in Italy.

Throughout 2023, the counter puncher hovered between World No. 386 and No. 275, reaching only one Challenger semi-final that year. Then, in March 2024, he won the African Games in Ghana to qualify for the Paris Olympics.

Echargui lost his first-round match to Briton Daniel Evans after a tight three-setter, but savoured the opportunity to represent his country.

“It was an unbelievable experience,” he said. “When we travel in tennis, we only see the inside of our sport. We don’t get to see what other athletes do, how they prepare.

“I shared a room with Fares Ferjani, who won a silver medal for Tunisia in fencing. It was such a good opportunity to talk with other athletes from all over the world and learn from them.”

Echargui hit another roadblock later in September, when an injury kept him out for three months. He dropped outside the Top 500 for the first time since January 2022.

“It was a difficult time, but I’m happy I kept strong in my mind and kept going,” Echargui said.

“When we play tennis, we want everything to come at an instant. But with age, I kind of understood that sometimes it takes a little bit of time.

“For some players, progress is not linear, so we have to work for it. There are going to be difficult moments during my career, but the most important thing is to keep calm, keep working hard.”

The long-awaited breakthrough finally came in July 2025, when Echargui lifted his first Challenger trophy aged 32 in Porto. His second title came just weeks later in Hersonissos, following a 17-match winning streak.

“Of course, I would have wanted to win it when I finished college right away at 25 years old, but I'm happy with it at 32,” he said. “I believe my past experiences made me the player I am today. Without those, I probably wouldn’t be able to win my first Challenger.

“Many people ask me why I bloomed at a later age. I believe, coming from Africa, we didn’t have the same opportunities as other players. We need more tournaments here to grow.”

Photo: Kathryn Riley/ATP Tour

During Echargui’s formative years, only one Challenger tournament, hosted in his hometown of Tunis, existed in Africa. As of 2026, five more African countries — Egypt, Ivory Coast, Rwanda, Republic of Congo and South Africa — host ATP Challenger events.

Growing up in Tunisia, tennis was never the main sport for the boy nicknamed “Le Chat” for his cat-like movement on court. He was more likely to be found on the football field alongside his two older brothers until he discovered the tinier, fuzzier yellow ball.

Countryman Malek Jaziri set the benchmark by reaching career-high of No. 42 and Echargui, who also trained alongside two-time women’s major finalist Ons Jabeur, took inspiration from the now 42-year-old.

“Malek’s career was amazing. He was kind of an idol, an intermediary for us when we were young,” Echargui said. “Tennis in Tunisia is growing fast. There are so many kids playing nowadays compared to when we started. It’s easier for everyone to access it.

“For me, I didn’t force it. I didn’t really think about it, especially after all these years when people were questioning whether I could keep it going or not.”

As someone who enjoys reading, trekking and camping in nature, Echargui knows exactly how to drown out the noise from his doubters. At 33, he is only just hitting the peak of his career.

This year, the World No. 139 made his Grand Slam qualifying debut at the Australian Open and Roland Garros. Watching 36-year-old Marco Trungelliti become the oldest man in Open Era to break into the Top 100 has imbued Echargui with fresh belief.

“I am good friends with Marco,” he said. “Nowadays, we see so many players playing at a later age. We see Stan [Wawrinka], Marin [Cilic] and [Novak] Djokovic.

“I see myself playing for at least the next six years. Everything is possible if you put your mind into it. I want to keep fighting and reach the Top 100 as well.”

In a parallel universe, Echargui is based in Silicon Valley. In Le Chat’s world, he is travelling the globe, living his childhood dream and blazing a trail for Africa’s future tennis stars.