For the first time in the history of Wimbledon, three Nigerian umpires have been selected to officiate in the Grand Slam tournament, which serves off on June 27 and ends on July 10, 2022 at the All England Tennis Club.

Rose Onoja, Kehinde Ijaola and Arinola Isa are the selected umpires to officiate at the Wimbledon.

Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) President, Dayo Akindoju, said the selected umpires are hardworking and have officiated in some other Grand Slam tournaments.

“I am extremely happy that we have credible umpires to be invited to officiate in the Wimbledon and I believe they will do the Federation and country proud,” Akindoju told The Guardian, adding that the umpires would be involved as line judges.

One of the selected officials, Isa, told The Guardian that her invitation to Wimbledon would be her third Grand Slam tournament, having officiated at the U.S. Open in 2021 and French Open in 2021.

Feeling great and honoured to officiate in the Wimbledon, Arinola said the assignment at the All England Tennis Club (AETC) would not be as difficult as her experience at the French Open in 2021.

“The French Open was a bit challenging because of the language, but it also gave me opportunity to learn a different language from what I speak daily,” she said. (The Guardian)