24th April, 2012
Following the sharp drop by Nigerian tennis players on the recently released Confederation of African Tennis, CAT ranking, tennis enthusiasts in the country have been raising eyebrows; the latest coming from non-playing Davis Cup Captain, Rotimi Akinloye.
In a chat with Tennis Special Akinloye said that the drop is more of a national problem than just an issue with tennis, adding that more measures should be taken to ensure the country’s sport does not totally crash.
The tennis coach assured that the nation’s tennis federation is working round the clock to ensure that the sport regains its rightful place on the continent and in the world at large, but pointed out that lack of sponsorship has been the bane of the sport.
“The NTF has been working very hard to ensure that the players get to the top of the game and I can assure our followers that very soon, we shall see those things in full swing, but the federation needs sponsors to effectively implement its programmes.”
“I can understand that tennis loving Nigerians want us to be among the best and I’m giving them that assurance that we’ll be there in no distant future” Akinloye said.
Nigeria plummeted further in the recent ranking released by CAT as none of the male and female players made it to the top ten on the continent, not even in the junior category.
Meanwhile, Head Coach of the National Wheelchair tennis team, Frank Termena, has said that the proposed trip for his team to Libya has been postponed to the first week of May.
Termena said that this decision was taken by the Libyan tennis authority, arguing that it will not affect his team’s preparation for the World Team Cup and the forth coming Paralympics Games.
—Damilare Okunola