The Secretary-General of the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF), Shammah Makpa,says the Federation is still awaiting feedback from Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) management for the commencement of the 2024 CBN Open Tennis Championship.
He expressed optimism about the upcoming 2024 CBN Open Tennis Championship, despite delays.
According to him, the federation initially expected the tournament to hold in May 2024, But up to this very moment we have not gotten a feed back from the CBN management but our hope is still high.
“With the year winding down, We are hoping that they will response and at anytime they respond we will ensure that the tournament come to be,” he said.
Makpa also commended CBN’s support for tennis development in Nigeria, adding that, the championship’s is over 40-year history is remarkable.
“The tournament has served as a platform for discovering talent. It has been instrumental in producing top players, including Joseph Imeh and Oyinlomo Quadre, Daniel Adeleye and Michael Emmanuel .
“Our Davis Cup and Billie Jean Cup teams are largely comprised of CBN products,” he said.
He further explained that the federation has made necessary arrangements, ensuring facilities and player readiness.
“Once CBN confirms, we will finalize logistics and schedules.
“With the Dala Hard Courts and Rain Courts tournament being the only other major event left, I believes there’s still time to hold the CBN Championship before year-end.
“We will continue to partner with CBN to make this happen,” he said.
The CBN Open Tennis Championship categories include men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and wheelchair events.
The CBN Open Championship in collboration with the NTF has been running for 45 years, attracting over 200 players annually.
