The Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) has confirmed the players that will represent Nigeria at the forthcoming Davis Cup World Group II Playoffs in South Africa.
This is coming about 24hours after the South African Tennis Federation announced a strong four-man team to lead the country’s charge for the tie scheduled to hold in Pretoria, South Africa.
Mr. Makpa Aliyu, the NTF Secretary, informed Nigeria Tennis Live that the players, two of whom are Nigeria-based, will be representing the country at the event where Nigeria aims to pick a ticket to play in the World Group II for the first time in decades.
According to him, the players who will be representing Nigeria at the Davis Cup event include: Christopher Bulus, David Ekpenyong, Michael Emmanuel and Canice Abua.
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Bulus and Ekpenyong, Nigeria’s number one player, will be arriving South Africa from their respective bases in the United States while Abua and Emmanuel will be traveling from Nigeria to South Africa with the non-playing captain, Benson Ishicheli.
The NTF Secretary also noted that all the players are expected to depart the shores of the country on Tuesday, 28 January, 2025.
Two of the players who will be traveling from Nigeria have been training in Abuja for a few months, in preparation for the Davis Cup tournament and are currently in Lagos for six-day camping to firm up preparations for the event.
Nigeria reached the World Group II playoffs after picking one of the three tickets alongside Zimbabwe and Namibia in the Africa Group III Qualifying event which took place in Abuja, Nigeria, in 2024.
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The victory came on the backdrop of the country’s promotion to the Africa Group III after it had eluded the country for several years.
In the space of two years, Nigeria moved from Africa Group IV to the World Group III after Playoffs, a development which could get even better if the players are able to win the tie against South Africa.
The tie will take place at Groenkloof Tennis Stadium in Tshwane, Pretoria, South Africa from 1-2 February, 2025.
Nigeria Tennis Live will keep all our readers (scattered the globe) updated on developments ahead of the competition as they unfold.