A tennis development officer, Kayode Savage, on Thursday in Lagos said lack of funds and competitions are hindering the development of tennis in Nigeria.

Mr Savage said during an interview that players, who train all year, are faced with lack of sponsors at the grass-roots and at the elite level.

According to Mr Savage, the fate of tennis has been so for a while and nothing seems to be happening to change the fortunes of the game.

He said that players are frustrated because they train hard all year long but there are no competitions to prove their capabilities.

Mr Savage said that tennis as a sport, required players to play in competition where they can earn some scoring points.

He said that competitions such as the Lagos State Governor’s Cup, International Tennis Federation, and Ogbe Hard Court competitions in Edo used to attract many players to compete for honours.

He stated, “There seems to be no structure in place to discover new talents and nurture them. This is as a result of the absence of a yearly calendar where the federation can work with.

“The North African countries regularly host international championships that help in the ranking of their players and this is why they have that edge over us. It is worrisome to see that nothing is working as it used to be. We call on stakeholders, private individuals and corporate organisations to salvage the situation.’’

Mr Savage, who recently got the wild card to participate at the maiden edition of World Para-Standing Tennis Championship in Turin, Italy, expressed happiness for the opportunity.

“It’s a great opportunity for me. I have been praying for this a long time and finally it has happened, so it is a great development that will put the country on the world map.

“The event comes up on June 20 and all I am praying for now is that lovers of the sport, private organisations and stakeholders support my dream,” Mr Savage said.

(NAN)