7th September, 2010
A call has gone to Nigerian players wishing to play in the 10th Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis Championship to prepare very well for the ITF approved tournament, which holds from 15 – 30 October at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan, Lagos State.
The Tournament Director of the competition, Prince ‘Wale Oladunjoye, told Tennis Special that over the years the performance of the local players was nothing to write home about. He, therefore, charged them to buckle up to see that they make an outstanding showing in  the only surviving international tennis championship in Nigeria.
“The Governor’s Cup is not organised just because they want Nigerian players to win it. How many times has an American won the US Open? The same thing goes for the Wimbledon Open in England as well as the French Open,†said the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola on Grassroots Sports Development.
“The only advice I can give the local players is that they should prepare very well so that they will be serious contenders for the prize money at stake in the tourney. I will also tell parents that they need to look for sponsors for these players so that they too can play circuits around the world as the foreign players always come to Nigeria for the Governor’s Cup.
“These foreign players come to the Governor’s Cup not only to play and garner points but to improve on their world rankings. They are here to gain experience and exposure. We want our local players to do the same by going out to mix with their foreign counterparts and learn a lot about the game. Lara Rafful of Brazil was in Nigeria for the Governor’s Cup with her mom, Marina Pedranzini. Though Lara crashed out early in the tourney, the woman was proud of her daughter,†he added
Continuing, he said: “I could remember that Indian Sania Mirza was here in 2004 for the Governor’s Cup as a player on number 311 in the world, she is now under 30 in the ranking. She achieved this feat because she did not stay in India but sought experience all over the world at different tournaments like the Governor’s Cup.
“Apart from the aim of developing the game locally, we put the Governor’s Cup together to expose these top players around the world to the tourism potential of Lagos State, the Centre of Excellence. That is why we have made great plans for the 10th edition.
“We are planning to take these players to some tourist centres across the state. We also plan a rousing welcome for the players right from the airport to their hotel. It is going to be a unique moment in Lagos because we will celebrate the decade edition of the tourney courtesy of our sponsors, Etisalat, FCMB and other co- partners,†he said.