11th October, 2013
One of the national tennis coaches, Rotimi Akinloye, has described the Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis Open as an opportunity for Nigerian players to measure their performance and not the results.
Akinloye who made this disclosure in a brief chat with P.M.NEWS Sports, also declared that with the caliber of talents at the country’s disposal, Nigerian players should be able to hold their own against their more experienced foreign counterparts in the 13th edition of the Governor’s Cup which serves off this weekend at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan.
The former Davis Cup player also said that the Etisalat Nigeria and FCMB-sponsored tournament will help the players get better and become stronger in future circuits.
“We have an array of stars who can hold their own against any opposition at this level and that are what I believe we will do when the tournament starts proper.
“I see the Governor’s Cup as an opportunity for our players to measure their performance and not the result because in Nigeria, we like results a lot,” he said.
The former tennis star also lauded the camping of players for the championship, stating that it shows how much the federation and the Local Organising Committee, LOC, want the players to excel.
“As a coach, when you look at the players, you feel for them because they don’t have many professional tournaments to play.
“They attend the tourney from training and return to training afterwards but this new initiative is a welcome development and must be lauded because it shows the commitment of the federation and the LOC. It will definitely help the players,” he said.
The International Tennis Federation, ITF-rated pro-circuit will serve off this weekend at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Court, Onikan and will be played for two weeks.
—Damilare Okunola