Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) has denied claims by some players that there would be wild cards for this year’s abridged Lagos Governor’s Cup Tennis Championship.
Some players had informed TheNiche of their participation at the event via wild cards, despite it being was termed an invitational championship.
However, calls put through to the NTF scribe, Mrs. Gloria Ukwemkpu, and the tournament referee, Isa Seidu, clarified the issue, as they both explained that there was no provision for that just yet.
Seidu disclosed in a chat that “this is an invitational tournament; I do not understand where the wild card issue has arisen from.
“This is not an open tournament; so the issue about wild cards should not arise for any reason.
“Anyway, nobody is getting a wild card as far as I am concerned.”
Confirming the request for some players to get wild cards to participate in the tournament was the NTF scribe, who stated categorically that although the requests had been received, nothing had been decided yet.
She said: “I can assure you that we have received requests from people to allow them play in the tournament. But really, nothing has been decided. And if any decision has to be made, the recommendation would be directly from the technical committee of the NTF.”
The Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis Championship is scheduled to hold from November 17 to 22 inside the Lagos Lawn Tennis Court (LLTC), Onikan, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Already, the list of the invited players for the tournament, both foreign and local, has been released by the NTF.