The Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) is taking full advantage of the current school holiday with a couple of programmes aimed at developing tennis as the Niger Holiday Tennis Clinic holds in Minna while the inaugural Alhaji Adewale Issa Memorial Tournament holds in Kaduna with over 100 players taking part.
According to the Coordinator of the Niger Holiday Clinic holding at the Minna Tennis Club, Seidu Musa, over 40 kids drawn from primary and secondary schools within the state are being introduced to the game in order to avoid the vacuum that will be created when the senior players leave the stage.
Musa, an ITF Bronze badge referee, who has officiated in grand slams such as Wimbledon, Australian Open and US Open as well as the Olympic Games said the kids are being familiarised with the latest techniques in the sport under its catch-them-young theme.
He commended the NTF for its support for the week-long clinic which will end on Saturday disclosing the federation provided all the balls and racquets in addition to logistics for the programme.
Similarly, the 1st Adewale Issa Memorial Tournament is equally attracting over 60 kids at the Kaduna Clay Court on Works Road.
Among the participating states for at the event that is also enjoying the full backings of the NTF are Abuja, Kano, Jigawa, Kogi, Nasarawa, Benue Plateau, Katsina and host Kaduna.
The programme is being facilitated by an ITF white badge official, Arinola Isa, with additional support from Nigeria’s junior tennis Head Coach, Mohammed Ubale.
Boys are competing in five categories namely U10, U12, U14, U16 and U18 while girls are competing in U10 and U14 categories.
Alhaji Issa, who died in March 2015, was the coach who discovered the highest number of Nigerian tennis stars including; Sadiq Abdullahi, Sule Ladipo and a host of others.
