George Osakwe, a South Africa-based Nigerian tennis player, will be gunning for a Main Draw spot at an ITF tournament taking place in Pretoria, South Africa.
The 25-year-old Nigerian is one of the players listed as alternates for the competition which pays $25,000 as prize money and which serves off on Monday, 27 September, 2021.
In a message sent to Nigeria Tennis Live correspondent on Facebook, Osakwe who recently came to compete at the Rainoil Tennis Open Championship in Nigeria, informed that he will be gunning for victory at the event.
He also explained how he had been unable to play ITF Futures events prior to this tournament, mostly due to the funds required for such trips and restrictions owing to COVID-19.
“Even for this one, I still had to travel because I stay in Cape Town,” Osakwe informed.
But with situations changing and the pandemic easing off, players are now able to travel to low risk countries and regions for international competitions.
Even though he has only played to the qualifying rounds of such ITF competitions, Osakwe is optimistic that he can get a berth in the Main Draw at this event, a task which looks herculean already.
The top ranked player on the ATP at the event is Filip Peliwo, he is ranked 435 in the world and number 8 in Canada’s national ranking.
Osakwe is, however, unperturbed, as he says: “nothing is impossible” with the tournament, as he wants to give it his best shot.
Nigeria Tennis Live will keep monitoring the competition and hope the player progresses and goes beyond his previous record of the qualifying rounds for the tournament.
The Main Draw of the M25 Pretoris Tuks International competition will serve off on Tuesday, 28 September and climax on Sunday, 3 October, 2021, inside the UP Hillcrest Sport Campus, Hatfield, Pretoria, 0083, South Africa.