Nigerian tennis prodigy, Oluwaseun Ogunsakin, is finally set for action at the European Circuit tournament where he hopes to acquire valuable points to improve on his global ratings.
PREMIUM TIMES had reported how Ogunsakin was initially denied a visa after the French embassy in Nigeria said there were ‘reasonable doubts’ about some of the documents submitted on behalf of the 14-year-old.
The French Embassy has since rescinded its earlier decision and granted Ogunsakin the travel documents to join his peers from across the world
Due to the forced late arrival, the promising Nigerian tennis youngster will be taking part in the remaining four weeks of the training camp and a series of tournaments organised by the Young Stars Association (YSA) in France, Germany, and Belgium.
Richfield Dongo, the General Manager of the Aurum Tennis Academy where Ogunsakin is honing skills, says ‘it is better late than never”.
“Yes he was given the visa on the 10th (July), the whole thing has been resolved … they called for him to have an interview and they cleared up everything,” Mr Dongo told PREMIUM TIMES on the phone on Monday.
He continued: “Yes, he missed the first week of the tournament, he joined them on Friday, last week, he is supposed to be starting the second week of the tournament today (Monday).
Big relief
The Aurum Tennis Academy GM admitted Ogunsakin was very happy after the French Embassy granted him a visa as he was already losing points.
“He was very happy, it was more of a weight being lifted off his shoulders. Not participating meant he was consistently losing points, so it was good he was able to embark on this trip even though it will be for four weeks instead of the six weeks,” Mr Dongo explained.
Known for his tenacity and hunger for success, Ogunsakin is tipped to make the most of the remaining games he will be featuring in even though the Aurum Tennis Academy GM noted there are other tournaments still spread across the year.
“We hope we can improve on our relationship with the French Embassy going forward because there are a series of tournaments he can still attend. I really hope this is the beginning of better relations with the embassy.”
As Ogunsakin gets another chance of showcasing his exceptional talent on the international stage, many hope to see him become a superstar like the 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz who on Sunday became the third youngest Wimbledon Open winner.
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