By John Egbokhan

A board member of the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF), Bala Yesufu has backed Governor Akinwumi Ambode for uppgrading the Gov’’s Cup Tennis Futures to a Challengers event.

Speaking in an interview with Sports Vanguard, Yesufu, who was the arrowhead of the now rested Heineken Futures, said the upgrading of the Gov’s Cup Futures was a step in the right direction that would further deepen the tennis space and engender the spirit of competition amongst Nigerian players.

Yesufu, who is Cadbury’s Director, Corporate and Government Affairs, West Africa, said “what the Governor has done with this upgrading is to redefine the tennis space in Nigeria. It’s about the biggest and boldest decision to have been made in recent times because by upgrading the Governor’s Cup to a Challengers event, our players must now raise their game because of the high calibre of players who will be coming to Lagos”.

He dispelled fears that the upgrading of the tournament would spell doom for Nigerian players, noting that “the top players coming from abroad don’t have two heads or three hands, so our players have to up their ante to ensure that they are not dominated. And they also have to be serious with their career.

“It is very clear that if we have a lot of competition that our players will be able to brace up. I am sure our players will start challenging for more ATP points sooner than later”, added Yesufu.