There was palpable excitement after Victor Ochei, the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) President, listed Alafia Ayeni in Nigeria’s Davis Cup World Group II Playoffs team.
During a media parley to intimate journalists about Nigeria’s readiness to host the World Group II event in Lagos, Ochei listed the names of players expected to represent Nigeria at the event, including Ayeni, an American-born tennis player.
Not only has the 26-year-old played in Nigeria before, he has never distanced himself from Nigeria and his desire to represent the country on the biggest stage.
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During an interview with Nigeria Tennis Live, Ayeni spoke extensively about his Nigerian roots and his progress in tennis, which has seen him rise in ATP rankings, and in UTR ratings.
“Obviously, my father is Nigerian; he’s half Yoruba and half Igbo and he was born in Jos, Plateau State. I have also visited Nigeria a lot of times in my life.
“I was actually hoping that they would have a Challenger, there were talks in 2019/2018 about having two Challengers in Lagos but I think Covid kind of shut that down. It’s my fatherland, and it has a very important place in my heart, so I’m not just connected by name,” he stated.
On the chances of him representing Nigeria at the Davis Cup level, he told our correspondent that“of course, there is always a chance for me to play on the Nigerian Davis Cup team, I obviously cannot say whether that’s a certainty yet.
“There is a chance for sure since I haven’t played in the US Davis Cup yet, I can still play in the Nigerian Davis Cup team”.
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Ayeni was ranked 27th in world junior rankings, and played all four Junior Grand Slams before eventually crossing to the seniors.
While reliving that experience, he noted that “Junior Slams are always fun, it’s the second week of the main Slams. I did lose pretty early in the first three, I made second round two years in a row in the US Open and obviously played quarterfinals in the doubles in the Australian Open and in the US Open as well.
“It’s really a different experience to be honest, I don’t know how to explain it… but it feels like you’ve made it. I can only imagine how it feels on the Men’s side that’s why I’m hoping to make it there. It is still my goal, not a dream.
“I think it’s a very attainable goal to play in the slams in the next two or three years, maybe in the next 18 months or so”.
Ayeni reached his highest ever ATP ranking (395) in 2023, after series of ITF/Challenger tournaments on tour, where he reached the finals and semifinals.
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If Nigeria must mount a serious promotion charge to World Group II, the country surely needs the likes of Ayeni, who is experienced with pro-tour events, to come up against her formidable opponents.
Nigeria, ranked 74th in the world, will be playing the World Group II playoffs against Uzbekistan (49) on the weekend of 7-8 February, 2026, inside the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan, Lagos.
Nigeria Tennis Live will continue sharing updates about the Davis Cup competition with our readers as they unfold.