Tennis
By Aderonke Ojo
Abuja, June 9 , 2024 ( NAN) Shammah Makpa, the Secretary General of Nigeria Tennis Federation ( NTF),says the International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Tennis Tour Junior J60 will commence on Monday in Abuja.
Makpa said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sideline of the ongoing International Tennis Federation ( ITF ) World Tennis Tour Junior J30 in Abuja on Sunday.
He said that the ITF World Tennis Tour Junior J60 is the highest version of the J30
“We anticipate to see more players participate in the competition and majority of these potential athletes are constantly searching for more competitive events to attend .
“ Many of the countries that we hope to welcome to Nigeria have expressed interest in doing so, and many of them have asked for letters of introduction to help them obtain entry visas.
“ They include China, India,U.S, UK and Germany in addition to African countries,” he said.
He said that NTF is still reviewing the online entries and will have an idea of how many countries and individuals that have entered for the competition.
“ Today, the entry on-site opens, and by evening we will be able to find out how many people have come to participate in the competition.
“ However, my prediction is that there will be more entries on the ITF World Tennis Tour Junior J60,” he said .
He said that Kayode Savage, a Tennis Development officer has gotten a wild card to participate at the maiden edition of the World Para- Standing tennis championship in Turin, Italy on June 20.
“He is the only Nigerian I know who will be competing, in-spite the fact that this is a new tournament in the ITF.
“He will be the first player from Nigeria to compete in this type of sport, which is specifically for physically challenged players who cannot sit on a wheelchair.
“We are excited about his involvement in the competition and are pleased that we will have the opportunity to train them as well as feature them in some of the events,” he said.
NAN reports that Junior International Tennis Federation event is a flagship tournament that help junior players gain global rankings and points.
The tour which is expected to start on June 10 will end on June 16 at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
STJ/JPE
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Edited by Joseph Edeh
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