Players, officials look forward to CBN Open tennis championship

With just two months to the end of the year, tennis players and officials across Nigeria are optimistic that the 46th edition of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Open Tennis Championship will hold.

Sporting Tribune reports that over the years, the competition has served as a platform to take youths off the streets and afford them an opportunity to channel their energy and showcase their talent, a vision the CBN management shares with the board of the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF).

However, the main objective of the senior open tennis Championship is to ensure that young talents are given a veritable platform to showcase their talents and represent Nigeria at their international tennis tournaments.

Fielding questions from journalists on why the tournament is experiencing delay this year, NTF Secretary General, Makpa Aliyu Shammah, expressed hope that the 2024 edition of the championship will still hold.

“We are not losing hope as the year is still on. We are hopeful that the biggest tennis championship in the country will still hold. The players are anxiously waiting. We are just waiting for response from CBN to go ahead and I can tell you we are good to go.

“As a Federation, we are concluding all necessary arrangements for the championship to take place. We are ready, facilities are in good shape and the players are ready to take part. All we need is just the response from CBN to set the ball rolling.

“We cannot talk about tennis development in Nigeria without mentioning CBN because most of our best tennis players are products of CBN Open Championship. CBN is the platform to get the best and where talents are discovered.

“It is a youth empowerment, a tournament every tennis player wants to play, so we are commending the management of CBN for their massive support,” the NTF scribe said.

One of the biggest tennis events in Nigeria, the CBN Open was initially scheduled to take place in May 2024 but was postponed due to change of management at the apex bank.

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