Bunmi Ogunyale
The annual Governor’s Cup Lagos has been renamed as Lagos Open International Tennis Championships, the organisers have announced.
Speaking at a media conference held at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan on Tuesday, the chairman Central Working Committee, Chief Pius Olu Akinyelure, said the transition comes with a lot of benefits especially in the calibre of players participating in the tournament.
“We are moving the tournament up to the Challenger Circuit. A little step after this and we would be having the likes of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, the Williams sisters (Serena and Venus), Angela Keber coming to our shores to compete.
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“Besides, from 2020 the Futures Tour will no longer attract Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) ranking points. Therefore, from 2020 professional men’s tennis will effectively begin at the Challenger level,” he pointed out.
He also revealed that the championship will also witness infrastructural upgrade such as an electronic scoreboards, tennis line technology, higher level tennis officials and officiating, training of local technical officials and ball boys.
Meanwhile, a princely sum of $100,000:00 has been set aside as the prize money for this year’s edition of the tourney, just as athletes from about 40 countries will vie for honours this year.