No fewer than 500 tennis players are expected to participate in the (Tennis Players Parents Association) TPPA UTR tournament which served off on Wednesday, 19 February, 2025.
The UTR tournament is a system of competing locally to make points globally. These points are recognized globally and are used to measure the level of each player with the highest-rated UTR players in the world having 16 points.
The TPPA event which will hold over two legs in different centres across Nigeria will help players get UTR points which can help them gain College scholarships as well as boost their ratings on the global stage.
Ilorin, Kano, Abuja, Minna, Ibadan, Owerri, Benin, Port Harcourt, Jos, Uyo, Abeokuta and Lagos will host the first leg of the competition which holds in February and early March, 2025.
The second leg of the regional qualifiers will hold in March, 2025 while the national grand finale will be held in Lagos in April, 2025.
“The idea is for the kids to play regular tournaments across different times of the year,” Mr. Segun Aluko, the TPPA President stated.
“We are also conscious of their academics, so we don’t fix the tournaments at times that will impede their studies,” he added.
He also explained that while the regional events will get the players UTR rankings, the nationals will get them even higher ratings.
Mr. Jude Osaji, another executive member of the TPPA noted that “the ratings are automatic, and even when these kids get the opportunity to play ITF events or other tournaments in that cadre, it also reflects on their UTR points.
“So, what our tournament does is to further boost their chances of getting more points while they await other events”.
Coach Paul Moses, one of Nigeria’s top tennis coaches noted that the TPPA event is similar to the system run by the London Tennis Association (LTA) where players compete in tournaments at all times.
“The beauty of the UTR tournament organized by the TPPA is that these kids get to play more tournaments and that is very essential for every tennis player, especially at that stage.
“They have to keep playing, and when they do, they will definitely improve and their rankings will also be a way to measure this growth over the years,” the coach fondly called MP Tiger, noted.
The competition will hold from 10am across all the centres in the boys and girls 12, 14 & 16 categories with only Lagos having the youth category during the regionals.
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