Father of 4 youngsters in CBN tennis championship upbeat about future as pros

Francis Ezeh, father of four youngsters taking part in the ongoing CBN Youth Tennis Championships, says his target is for all four children to progress into the professional cadre.

The children, two boys and two girls are: Tochukwu, 15, Ekene, 14, Chidinma 11 and Amarachi 9.

They have all been making waves at the ongoing championship, holding at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan, organised by the International Tennis Academy (ITA) as they have moved into the second round of the competition.

Ezeh, a lover of tennis and coach of his four children on Wednesday at the sidelines of the championships, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that he was optimistic of their future in the game because of their commitment to the sport.

According to him, if the children are well managed, they will go on to play at the professional level — the Association of Tennis Professional (ATP) and the Women Tennis Association (WTA).

“My children love football but when I observed their passion for tennis, having watched as I play at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, I decided to encourage them to take more to tennis.

“I have also invested my time in coaching them and guiding them through the fundamentals of the game and their response has been astonishing,’’ Ezeh, who hails from Anambra but resides in Lagos, said.

According to Ezeh, finding a coach to bring them up has been cumbersome.

“I have tried to find a reputable coach that can develop their tennis; this is why I call on government to step in to assist me in developing their capacity,’’ Ezeh said.

The eldest of the children, Tochukwu, confirmed that his dad influenced his choice of the sport.

“I have no regrets about it, I really love tennis,” he said.