Sixteen out of the 39 players in the Nigerian camp for the 2016 ITF/West and Central Africa Junior Circuit, which will hold from January 9 to 17 in Abuja, will be decamped on Friday.
This will leave the team with the final 24 players that will represent the country in the 12-nation tournament.
Nigeria junior tennis head coach, Mohammed Ubale, informed that South Africa-based Adetayo Adetunji will be joining the team on Thursday as the host nation tightens preparations for the tournament it has won its last two editions: Abuja 2014 and Lome 2015.
Ubale said: “It has been a very competitive camping exercise as all the players showed determination to make the fine list.
“Those that were invited for the first time gave a good account of themselves because they realized that the AJC is a huge platform to launch their tennis career.”
Meanwhile, Angel McLeod, who is one of Nigeria’s medal hopefuls, will be given a two-day break (Thursday and Friday) to attend the burial of her mum in Anambra State.
Ubale added: “Angel has really been on top of her game and we are very much delighted with her performance.
“She knows that is what her mum wants her to do: to play professional tennis.
“Hopefully, after the AJC, she will move to the ITF Training Centre in Morocco to further her playing career.”
The LOC disclosed that Senegal and Gabon are among the first set of countries that will be arriving of the tournament as they are scheduled to arrive on Thursday while Ghana, Togo, Cameroun, Sierra Leone are due to arrive on Friday.
Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Mali, Benin, Liberia are the other teams that will be featuring in the tournament, which is in three categories – 12&Under, 14&Under and 16&Under.
The main Africa Junior Circuit is billed for Pretoria, South Africa from March 8 to 17, 2016.
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