In the next five months, Nigerian tennis facilities across the country will become a beehive of competitions, Nigeria Tennis Live can report.
Not only will players be participating in local tournaments, there will also be a series of international competitions for the Nigerian players.
Nigeria Tennis Live findings have revealed that there will be both junior, youth and senior national events across the country in the next five months. Some of the confirmed competitions are listed below:
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TPPA-UTR Regionals, Nationals (Two weeks)
After the first leg of the regionals which was held at different centres across Nigeria, the Tennis Players Parents Association (TPPA) will be holding another round of their UTR regionals anytime soon.
After the regionals, winners and runner-ups will be invited to Lagos for the grand finale which often attracts educational grants in prize money, among other goodies from the event.
As at the time of filing this report, there was no concrete date confirmed for these tournaments but our correspondent gathered that these events are likely to hold in March/April, 2025.
The UTR tournament is open to everybody within the age brackets features matches in the Boys and Girls U-12, 14, 16 and youth categories, and it gives UTR points to participating players.
Interested participants can reach out to Mrs. Jumoke Yakubu, the UTR Coordinator, via 08033006115 for more details on how to participate.
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TOP 8 Invitational at FHA Tennis Club (One week)
As part of plans to help Nigerian players play more tennis tournaments throughout the year, the International Tennis Academy (ITA) has secured a top 8 Invitational event for Nigerian tennis players.
According to information gathered by Nigeria Tennis Live, the event is billed to hold inside the FHA Tennis Club in FESTAC Town, Lagos, from 7-14 April, 2025.
Participation in this competition is strictly on the invitation by the organizers as it is for the Top 8 Male and Female Senior National Tennis players in the country or at the discretion of the organizers.
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Junior ITF Tennis Lagos (Two weeks)
While this is yet to be confirmed by the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) or the International Tennis Federation (ITF), there are feelers that Lagos may be hosting two weeks of Junior ITF competitions starting on the week of 28 April, 2025.
Recall that Nigeria Tennis Live had reported that plans were ongoing for a Junior ITF event to be hosted by Lagos but this did not see the light of the day.
In a new development, however, it has almost been confirmed that the proposed Junior ITF event will eventually be held in Lagos.
The proposed venue for this championship is the Lagos Country Club, Ikeja, Lagos, and plans are still being firmed up as you read, hence, the non-appearance of this event yet on the ITF Calendar for the year.
Nigerians can rest assured that whenever this has been officially confirmed, Nigeria Tennis Live spread the word to our readers and followers from across the globe, as well as the contact persons for the event.
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VEMP/DavNotch/CBN Opens (Three weeks)
The national tournaments are almost certain to hold as they have been holding over the years, with the CBN Senior Open Championship expected to make a return this year.
With the exception of that ‘expectation’, the VEMP Open (Sponsored annually by the NTF President – Engr. Ifedayo Akindoju) and the DavNotch Open are almost certain to be held inside the tennis section of the National Stadium in Abuja.
Traditionally, these tournaments – across three weeks, are held in May and often spill over into June when the Junior ITF tournaments hold.
Players who are interested in participating in the national tournaments will have to register with the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) with a token and if they are not top on the national ranking, will have to go through the preliminary rounds.
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Junior ITF Abuja (Two weeks)
At the moment, the second two legs of Junior ITF competition confirmed for Nigeria will be held in June.
From 2-14 June, 2025, players from all over the world are expected in Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital, for the World Junior Tour event which has been one of the consistent tournaments in Nigeria for a few years now.
The first one for the year was held in February, 2025, and it attracted a record number of players to Abuja for the championship.
Players who intend to participate in this event can check out the ITF website to register before the deadline which is always stated on the website ahead of the commencement of the tournament.
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Billie Jean King Cup (One week)
Nigeria’s quest to qualify to the Europe/Africa Group II of the Billie Jean King Cup event suffered a huge setback in 2024 when the Nigerian ladies narrowly lost to South Africa.
The Nigerian national female tennis team came second at the event which presented the girls with a beautiful opportunity to move past their contemporaries in Africa, but they could not advance.
2025 will present another chance for the Coach Rotimi Akinloye-led Nigerian side to reclaim their glory and move up from the Africa Group III where they have been for a while.
The tournament is predicted to hold sometime in June 2025, however, there are no updates yet on when and where it will be held precisely.
Players are selected by the national tennis coach in collaboration with the technical department of the Nigeria Tennis Federation and will be made public once their names and availability have been confirmed.
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Davis Cup (One week)
Despite a promising start to Nigeria’s campaign at the Davis Cup World Group II Playoffs in South Africa, the Nigerian tennis stars could not get past their host.
Nigeria’s dreams of reaching the World Group II for the first time in decades faded right before the team’s eyes, ensuring a return to the regional event.
To reclaim her status among the elite countries on the continent, the Nigerian team will now compete in the Africa Group III Qualifiers (possibly in July). Qualification will guarantee another shot at aiming for World Group II status.
While the dates and participating countries are yet to be confirmed, Algeria and Senegal are likely to be in the group alongside Nigeria in a bid to conquer the region.
All eyes will be on the West African giants to prove to the entire tennis world that their Davis Cup progress in the past few years has been no fluke, and they deserve their spot among the top teams in the World.
Like the BJKCup event, the team is selected by the national tennis coach alongside the technical department of the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF).
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Gbolahan Odele Junior Tennis Championship (One week)
The first edition was so good that players could not wait for the second edition, but the third edition is already looking like a volcano about to erupt.
From 18-23 August, 2025, the third edition of the Gbolahan Odele Junior Tennis Championship in Lagos, is already looking promising.
Nigeria Tennis Live gathered that 12 States will be invited for this year’s event and catered for by the sponsor, Chief Gbolahan Odele, this is a shift from last year’s event when about five or six States only were invited – even though a few others uninvited participated.
At the last edition held inside the magnificent Adejumo Tennis Complex in Ejigbo, Lagos, Chief Odele identified a youngster Godwin Afaramai, and he has immediately started sponsoring the player with his education, his tennis and his general wellbeing.
Players will be participating in the Boys and Girls U-12, 14, 16 and the youth categories and it will be on invitation basis as only player invited will be accommodated and fed for the duration of the championship.
However, interested participants who believe they can provide their own accommodation, alongside other logistics may also attend and participate in the event.
If there’s any tournament Nigerian junior players should be on the look out for this year, this has to be among them.
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Adewale Isa Foundation Junior Tennis Championship (One week)
Nigerian junior players are almost assured of three things – a TPPA-UTR tournament, an Azimuth Junior tournament the Adewale Isa Foundation Junior Tennis Championship.
Such is the consistency of this tournament that it has been perpetually ticked in every junior tennis player’s diary as one of the competitions that hold without fail.
For what it’s worth, the Adewale Isa Foundation event is mostly anticipated because of the prizes attached to the trophies won by the players that play the competition, and the manner of the organization.
In August, every year, Nigerian junior players from all over the country gather at the tennis section of the National Stadium, Lagos for what is fast becoming a tennis carnival.
This year’s event will run from 25-30 August, 2025 and players will participate in the Boys and Girls U-12, 14 & 16 categories.
Nigeria Tennis Live will keep our readers updated on the developments leading to the commencement of the annual event as well as update our readers on new development concerning other competitions.