2nd January, 2013
Tennis players and administrators in the country have expressed their desire to see the game thriving in the new year.
The stakeholders, who spoke with Tennis Special on their expectations in 2013, want a better and an improved outing for the sport, which will surpass the previous years.
President, Nigerian Tennis Federation, NTF, Engr. Sani Ndanusa made it clear that the federation has put everything in place to ensure that the players are not idle throughout the new year.
In his words: “We are prepared to have a great year for tennis in the country. As you know, the players are in camp for the AJC qualifying tournament. They will depart the country on 6 January for the competition slated for Togo.
“However, our programme for the year is 90 percent ready and will be made known to Nigerians in the coming weeks. So people can see that we’re doing all we can to ensure that this year is productive for tennis.”
Ndanusa also assured that the Port Harcourt Open, which could not be staged last year due to the National Sports Festival, would hold this year, as the tournament has been included in the federation’s programme for the year.
“I can assure you that the Port Harcourt Open will hold this year because it’s already on our calendar for 2013. We could not stage it last year because the date clashed with the Eko 2012 National Sports Festival.
“The New Era Wheelchair Tennis Championship is also on our list for this year. In fact, the players will be going to Kenya for the African Championship on 14 January, so you can see we’ll have a busy period this year” he said.
Nigeria’s number one female player, Abinu Fatimah, said she was in the dark concerning what the federation has in stock for the players in the new year.
Abinu maintained that her plans for the year are not tennis related.
“I don’t really know what the federation is doing, but I hope that this year will be better for us. I have my plans as a person, but they have nothing to do with the sport,” the Kogi State born player said.
Meanwhile, top Nigerian tennis player, Destiny Ford Da-Silva wants the country’s tennis to move forward as he hopes to see Nigerian players on top again.
He said: “My dream this year is to see Nigerian tennis moving forward with administrators that will be ready to make this dream come true.
“On a personal note, I want to keep training the youngsters in my academy to get better result very soon,” Da Silva said.
—Damilare Okunola