The immediate past governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, has commended the incumbent governor of the state, Babatunde Raji Fashola, for making sure that the annual Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis Championship does not die after he (Tinubu) left office on 29 May, 2007.
Tinubu, who was one of the guests at the closing ceremony of the just concluded 8th edition of the ITF pro circuit, was glad that Fashola’s government still believes in the ideology of the ‘Friends of Tinubu’ who in July 1999 initiated the competition which has now attained an international flavour in the Centre of Excellence among other sports.
“I’m glad that the present government in Lagos State continues its support for the Governor’s Cup. It started like child’s play and I’m proud to say that organising this championship after I left office has shown the commitment of the present administration to sports development in Lagos State,” Tinubu said.
Asiwaju also appreciated the gesture of the title sponsor, Oceanic Bank International Plc. He urged other corporate organisations to rally round the government in taking sports to the zenith in the state.
The 9th edition of the Governor’s Cup promises to be more glamorous, going by the plan of the organisers, led by Chief Pius Akinyelure and Oceanic Bank. Tennis Special gathered that the total prize money of the tournament’s next edition will be $120,000 with the aim of attracting more quality players across the world.
Meanwhile, basking in the euphoria of his feat at the Governor’s Cup, winner of the Men’s Singles; Slovakian Kamil Capkovic, has declared that he will storm Nigeria again to compete in the 9th edition.
After the final on Saturday, when asked by sports reporters whether he would like to come back to the country to defend his title in the Governor’s Cup, Capkovic said: “Why not? I’ll like to come back to play my game and I’m very sure that I might have developed far more than what I played here this year. My experience in the competition was quite eventful and exciting. I must confess, the players here were good and coming this far to the finals in Futures 3 and 4 was wonderful for me. I want to thank the organisers and the sponsors for giving us the opportunity to come to Lagos to improve our ranking on the ATP, as well as earn something at the end of the day.
“Nigerians are wonderful. I cherish their hospitality. They are friendly, especially the fans who came to the court to support me to victory.” The Women’s Singles winner, Zuzana Kucova, also described her experience in the 2008 Governor’s Cup as memorable. She said she played the tournament in the 7th edition last December, where she won the first leg Women’s Singles. She disclosed that it is her wish to come back to Nigeria next year.
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