Nigerian tennis players have been hit hard by the ravaging coronavirus scare, as the International Tennis Federation has announced the suspension of all tennis tournaments for a six-week period.
The ATP and ITF had made a six-week tennis tournament shutdown due to the spread of the Coronavirus.
This unprecedented move meant at least Miami, Monte Carlo and many Challengers and ITF events will not take place as scheduled. This ruling meant the Nigerian ITF tour, which included Tombin ITF Challenge series, Dayak and GCL, which hold n Abuja, had been affected.
Sponsor of the Tombin Open, Edmond Ajoge also confirmed the suspension of the tournament, which is in its fifth year. Nigerian players were already gearing up for the commencement of the Tombin Open this month in Abuja, where they would have earned ranking points and some dollars to improve their living conditions, but this postponement would bite them hard, as they live mainly from proceeds gotten from tournaments, which are scarce to find in the country.
Most of them make little money from coaching youngster and adults, who play tennis during their leisure time.
“This is not a decision that was taken lightly and it represents a great loss for our tournaments, players, and fans worldwide,” new ATP head Andrea Gaudenzi said.
“However, we believe this is the responsible action needed at this time to protect the health and safety of our players, staff, the wider tennis community and general public health in the face of this global pandemic.
The worldwide nature of our sport and the international travel required presents significant risks and challenges in today’s circumstances, as do the increasingly restrictive directives issued by local authorities.