The leadership of the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) has finally made public, the list of players to prosecute the Davis Cup Team Tennis Tournament scheduled to hold in Kenya, Nigerian Tennis Live has exclusively gathered.
The list had been an object of debate a few weeks ago, with our correspondent reporting that some players had been confirmed while had been dropped. But this has since been clarified by the president of the federation, Engr. Dayo Akindoju, who announced the list during a chat with Nigerian Tennis Live on Wednesday, 30 May.
He noted that the federation believes the players, based on their current forms, are the best bet to prosecute the tournament which is billed to hold in the eastern country of Kenya, where some Nigerian players recently traveled to play to weeks of ITF Futures.
Abdulmumuni Babalola will be at the Davis Cup Team tournament this year as the team’s captain. |
Coincidentally, Joseph Imeh, Christian Paul and Sylvester Emmanuel, the three players who went to Uganda and Zimbabwe for the ITF Futures, will be on the flight to Kenya for the team tournament, to be captained by ageless Abdulmumuni Babalola.
According to the NTF President: “Everything is set for our participation at the Davis Cup Team Tournament in Kenya. The four players whom we have selected are sure to give their best to Nigeria and see to it that we gain promotion from our present World Group.
“The players will be camping in Ibadan to help them prepare adequately on clay court since the tournament will be played on clay. The team shall be led by (Abdulmumuni) Babalola and the four of them shall head out to Kenya on the 16th of June or thereabouts because the tournament is scheduled to start on the 19th.
“We have no doubts whatsoever in the ability of these players to make Nigeria proud and they shall be given the adequate support to perform to the maximum.”
As always, Nigerian Tennis Live, the number one tennis blog in Nigeria, will monitor the players’ activities from the build up, to their arrival and their stay in Kenya, and report their progress to our teeming audience.