Matthew Holmes, one of the brains behind the MP Tiger Tennis Championship recently held at the Lagos Country Club, Ikeja, has vowed to ensure a sustenance of the tournament.
The American who is married to a Nigerian, told Naija Tennis Special how delighted he was with the successful hosting of the tournament- the first of its kind- and stated categorically that the Club now has an idea of what it takes to organise such.
“We organised this tournament without any big name sponsorship and that showed us clearly how well we could have an event, not needing a lot of money.
“Although we would have loved to have corporate bodies some around to sponsor the event, they were not forthcoming. So we just contacted fellow club members and came up with this tournament and everything came out well”.
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| Mr. Matthew Holmes (far right), one of the brains behind the MP Tigers tournament, looking on during the tournament which was recently held at the Lagos Country Club, Ikeja, Lagos Photo: Damilare Okunola |
While also counting the gains of the week-long championship, Mr. Holmes disclosed that young tennis players must not be put under pressure to win their games.
Instead, he believes that, “junior championships are meant for exposure and a competitive atmosphere.
“In the game of tennis, only one person gets to win, it does not mean the loser is a bad player. But, if these youngsters do not get that opportunity to compete, how can we get the best out of them?
“If we can consistently organise such tournaments for junior players within and outside Lagos, if we can have a two-day tournament for boys and girls 16, and a tournament every three months, I think we shall be doing fine with our development.”