Leadership of Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF), has said that the sport has gained a lot from the annual Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis Championship since inception.
The tournament, which is being staged at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan, enters its 14th edition this year. The International Tennis Federation (ITF), rated Futures, which was supposed to have been staged.
in October, will now hold from 17-22 November with only Nigerians and other top tennis players in Africa expected to participate.
Vice President of NTF, Yemi Owoseni, who was grateful to the Local Organising Committee (LOC), of the competition headed by Chief Pius Akinyelure, said in Lagos that the Governor’s Cup has added value to the game in the country as it has been an exposing tourney for most Nigerian players, while foreign players have also used the competition as a launching platform to play in tennis grand slams across the world.
“The tournament has improved our players and we are grateful for this. The junior tournament which was incorporated into the Governor’s Cup in the 2013 edition helped us discovered some players who represented the country in some Confederation of African Tennis, CAT junior circuits and these young players were able to win laurels for Nigeria in those tournaments,” said Owoseni.
“I believe that the Governor’s Cup will grow from strength to strength and I want to particularly commend the Lagos State Government and the LOC which are desirous to stage the Governor’s Cup despite the scar left behind by the Ebola virus crisis and most importantly the security challenge the country is facing. The NTF and indeed the CAT are surprised that we can still have the Governor’s Cup this year,” he said.
The 2014 Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis Invitational is expected to feature top class Futures players in Africa-32 number each for the Men’s and Women’s Singles and 32 number each (16 pairs) for the Men’s and Women’s Doubles with N13.8 million ($84,000) prize money at stake.
The participating other African players will be accommodated at the Eko Hotel and Suites with free breakfast, while a N10,000 daily subsidy in lieu of accommodation for Nigerian players for the period they remain in the championship sponsored by Etisalat Nigeria, FCMB, LASACO, Julius Berger and others.