Daniel Adeleye is Nigeria’s highest-ranked junior player on the ITF ranking, but that’s not all there is to this Ekiti boy. There’s more to him.
Of all the current Nigerian players, junior or senior, he has been the most consistent on the junior ITF circuit in the last six months.
He followed up his disappointing performance over the two legs of the Abuja J30 event with some beautiful tennis at the J30 Accra and J60 Ivory Coast, where he had a return of two gold and two silver medals.
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And on his return to the national scene, the world 341 ranked junior player took his impeccable form to the two tournaments he participated in.
Adeleye reached the final of the VEMP Open National Tennis Championship in Abuja, losing only to his familiar foe, David Ekpenyong (Nigeria’s number one player), in what was described as an ATP-standard encounter.
Ekpenyong won in three sets, an indication that Daniel remains a serious threat to his national dominance which he stretched further by winning two consecutive national titles.
At the DavNotch Championship the following week, Adeleye was more devastating with his wins, and he was almost cruising to another final before he was stopped by the relentless Uche Oparaoji, in a final set thriller.
What separated the 18-year-old from the eventual winner of that tie is the wealth of experience which Lefty wields like a deadly weapon that he moves around with.
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The crowd that watched the match was another indication that it was a worthy battle between two players separated only by years of experience.
In a matter of weeks, Nigerians will be expecting the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) to release the list of players expected to participate in this year’s Davis Cup Africa Group III qualifier.
But will it be too early to include Adeleye in the list of players whom Nigerians will be hoping to help secure promotion to the World Group II from the event holding in Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital?
Adeleye narrowly missed the African Games, as it was learnt that he would have made the cut at the time but for the demise of his mother.
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And if there is any player who seems to have been on the ascendancy over the past few years, and who may have come of age, Daniel Adeleye has to be in the mix.
However, it is left for the national handlers whom they would rather have on the Davis Cup team as preparations for the event begins to gather steam.
Nigeria Tennis Live will keep all our followers updated with the latest developments ahead of the competition which is billed to hold from 15-20 July, 2024.