Tennis Innovators Academy (TIA) is proud to sponsor Christopher Bulus, a promising tennis player, with year-round training to compete on the ATP Tour full-time. In addition to a tennis training regimen, the sponsorship includes comprehensive fitness and healthcare coverage as well as competition provided by HEAD, a prominent tennis brand. Cesar Andrade, TIA Director of Operations and Vladimir Margalitadze, Director of Tennis at TIA, will be his managers and head coaches.
“We are thrilled to support Chris in his endeavors on the professional tennis circuit and hope this serves as a symbol of courage to other talented, young athletes,” said Cesar. “The lifespan of a professional tennis player has increased over the years, therefore, giving college graduates a chance to pursue their dreams in professional tennis, which was not even a thought 15 years ago.”
About Christopher Bulus
A Nigerian native, Bulus started his tennis career in Lagos, Nigeria. He trained at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club under Abel Ubiebi. In 2017, Chris was rated as high as No. 6 in Nigeria and by 2018 he ranked No. 328 in ITF world rankings. In addition to his high-profile junior resume, he represented Nigeria at the Junior Davis Cup in 2016 and the All-African Youth Games in 2018. Amongst being a finalist in several ITF events, he won his first ITF title at Grade 5 in Lomé, Togo in 2017. These accomplishments afforded Chris the opportunity to play for a college in the United States.
Bulus attended the New Mexico Military Institute, for the first two years, where he earned his associates degree. Chris won the Region V championship and All-American singles titles in 2018 and 2019. He transferred to the University of West Alabama (UWA) where he earned the ITA Division II All-American Singles title in 2021. He also won ITA summer circuit title in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 2020. Chris finished the 2021 season ranked No. 4 in the Division II national rankings while at UWA.
For his senior year, Bulus was recruited to join the men’s team at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) where he achieved No. 31 in Division I national rankings in February 2022. He represented UNLV at No. 1 singles position and made his debut appearance at the NCAA Individual National Championships in May 2022. While at UNLV, Chris developed a friendship with a tennis legend Andre Agassi. “Andre’s support has been meaningful in this process,” said Chris.
After receiving an undergraduate degree in economics from UNLV earlier this year, Bulus permanently moved to White Plains, NY in the summer to begin his training at Tennis Innovators Academy. Since joining TIA, Bulus already had several notable accomplishments. He won the qualifying draw at the M15 ITF event in Memphis, TN and made it to the finals of two UTR PPT events, $10K money tournament in Boca Raton, FL as well as a $25K event in South Orange, NJ.
“I am so thankful to TIA for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It is a very special moment for me and I’m very excited for the journey ahead and will keep working towards my goals while enjoying the process,” said Bulus.
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