Why Nigerian players can't play Grand Slams ' NTF

The Nigeria Tennis Federation has explained the reason Nigerian players have been missing out on the Grand Slams since 1987 when Nduka Odizor last featured in the US Open.NTF 1st Vice-President Yemi Owoseni told our correspondent that the failure of Nigerian players to feature in various championships across the world had denied them points that could help them in the ATP rankings for the Grand Slams.There is no way our players can move up the ATP rankings without playing in the circuits. They have to be assisted through sponsorship to play these games so that they can acquire more points that can qualify them to play in the Grand Slams. The same problem is responsible for Nigeria not playing in the Olympics; our players dont have enough points to feature at the top level, Owoseni, who is also the Vice-President of the Confederation of African Tennis Zone 2, said.Even if we have 20 championships in Nigeria, it might not be as effective as when the Nigerian players play against their foreign counterparts.Some of the best players in the world dont even play in their countries. They travel round the world to feature in various circuits where they earn points in the ATP. Nigerian players cant afford that. The NTF provides the technical support but not the funding.Owoseni added that the NTF had tried to revive the Ogbe Hard Court competition in Benin, Edo State and the Ogun State grass court championship but had failed severally. He, however, pleaded with the state governments of both states to assist in reviving the competitions.He also revealed that Nigeria would attempt to host the Davis Cup in April 2012, saying the facilities in Lagos and Abuja would brighten the countrys chances of being selected as the host.
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