Tennis players in the country would have their hands full when the second edition of the Tombim Futures Tennis Tournament serves off April 18 at the Tennis Courts of the National Stadium Abuja.

Registration for the ITF-sanctioned tournament is ongoing and the sponsors, Tombim Sports Development Limited confirmed yesterday in Abuja that the two legs of the ITF Futures will run till  May 2 with over 300 players  competing for spaces  in the main draws.

Edmond Ajoge of Tombim who confirmed the date said yesterday that this year’s tournament will witness an upsurge following serious interest being shown by both foreign and local players .

“Interestingly, last year’s singles champion who moved more than hundred places after winning the two legs in Abuja, Matija Pecotic from Croatia is looking forward to coming here to  defend his titles”.

He equally disclosed that the Croatian who trains with World Number one tennis player Novak Djokovic has confirmed that some of his close friends who missed the 2015 edition will join him in Abuja.

Also expected are the maiden edition’s number one seed Ivo Klec, Stanilav Korshunov, Deiton Baughman, American Eric Quigley, Indias Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan, Mafiloe Malaoa from South Africa, Keith-Patrick Crowley and several others.

On the sudden interest being shown by both home based players , Nigerians in the diaspora and foreigners, Ajoge disclosed that “Tombim  intends to get more people into it, getting more tournaments and doing tournaments the way it is done in Europe and some parts of Africa. We are doing $25,000 with hospitality.

What they do out there is without hospitality. In Egypt, they have 42 of this type of tournament every year; in Turkey they have 54 every year. The reason why they could sustain it is because they do the cheapest Features which is $10,000. The players come and pay for their accommodation. The money the hotels make from the accommodation is where they generate money to pay for the tournament”