April 05, (THEWILL) – Nigerian tennis prodigy, Oluwaseun Ogunsakin, has become the first homegrown player from Nigeria to secure a wildcard slot for the prestigious junior event at Wimbledon.
The 14-year-old earned his spot after being crowned the Under-14 African champion at the International Tennis Federation/Confederation of African Tennis junior championships held in Togo’s capital city, Lome. Ogunsakin’s historic win marks the first time in 36 years that a Nigerian will participate in any Grand Slam event, since Toni Mmoh in 1987.
The young tennis sensation will make his debut appearance at Wimbledon, one of the most significant and oldest tennis tournaments in the world. The event is scheduled to take place from July 3 – 16 in London, England.
In addition to securing a wildcard slot for Wimbledon, Ogunsakin also earned an ITF scholarship that will allow him to participate in the European Tour in France, as well as the Orange Bowl International Tennis Championship in the United States.
He will then head to Wimbledon in July for the junior event. However, the President of the Nigeria Tennis Federation, Ifedayo Akindoju, confirmed that the Federation is yet to receive formal confirmation from the International Tennis Federation. But, he expressed optimism that they were working towards ensuring that he participates.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
