Nigeria’s Abayomi Philips is among the top 500 world junior tennis players on the ITF Junior Tennis rankings as the 2020 tennis season kicks off across the world.
Nigeria Tennis Live reports in 2019 showed that the Nigerian youngster shot into the prominence on the world stage after a string of impressive performances on the junior tennis circuit, especially in West Africa.
He also traveled to Europe, but could not withstand the weather situation in the country, a development which affected his performance during the period he spent there. This did not, however, affect his rankings as the new tennis season kicks off.
Checks by our correspondent on the junior ITF website show that Abayomi is ranked 486 in the world rankings ahead of the new tennis season for the junior players. Tennis observers and followers in Nigeria will be monitoring the player’s progress in the coming months.
Also, Emmanuel Jebutu, his close friend and compatriot, stays within the world’s 1000 ranked players, having also impressed in the competitions he played in, including the inaugural Abuja ITF Junior Circuit in Nigeria.
The rankings show that he is now ranked 974, about 18 places from his biggest ranking spot which he also attained in November, 2019.
For the winner of the first leg of the Abuja ITF, Canice Abua who rose from oblivion to become a top 1200 player, he still managed to keep his place on the log. He is ranked 1134 on the log ahead of the tennis season.
There are fears, however, that the youngster may not be able to sustain his place on the rankings as his chances of playing more junior ITF competitions are limited, especially since there are fewer chances of him getting to play in Nigeria.
Nigeria Tennis Live is keeping tabs with these players as the junior tennis season officially kicks off across the world with youngsters already engaging in competitions already.