A five-day tennis clinic for beginners and junior players as well as coaching course being coordinated by the International Tennis Academy (ITA), in conjunction with the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF), is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, November 22 in Lagos.
American Justin Jennings serves as facilitator and he will be accompanied by a Nigerian-American citizen, Tolu Adeleye, to expose budding players at all levels to the rudiments of the game for free and also organise a coaching course.
Jennings who won an award in 2015 as one of the best junior tennis development resource persons, is in Nigeria to promote tennis as part of a project called “Better Africa Through Tennis.”
The clinic is scheduled to open at the Ikoyi Club on Wednesday, November 22 from 10am and move to the Meadow Hall School, Lekki on Thursday, November 23.
Jennings and his team would engage students of the Greensprings School also in the Lekki axis on Friday, November 24 from 10am. Both schools have already drawn no fewer than 250 students each split into four or five sessions for the daylong sessions.
The clinic returns to Ikoyi Club on Saturday, November 25 and Sunday, November 26 at 10 am.
“There is strength in numbers and we are excited about the potential a huge country like Nigeria can have in world tennis. Great players coming out of Nigeria and indeed Africa can change the mindset of the youth and impact their economy,” Jennings said.
Meanwhile, Godwin Kienka, Director of ITA, while speaking on the programme said, “Admission to the workshop for coaches and junior players at the Ikoyi Club is free and we hope many parents would bring their children {to the training venue} so they can get the right start and motivation in tennis.”