Lawal: I’ll Quit Tennis Soon

Losing finalist in the Men’s Singles event of the recently concluded CBN Open, who is also the Nigerian number four, Shehu Lawal told DAMILARE OKUNOLA about his life and tennis

How has it been since you started playing?

It has been great but not without some ups and downs. I’ve played a lot of tournament within and outside the country, so I can tell you that it’s been really interesting playing over the years. I enjoy playing tennis, that’s why I’ve been in the game since then even till now.

I started playing the sport as a ball boy at a tennis club in Kaduna. I was always watching the players at the time with the hope of playing like them someday. I was always training on my own after the players might have played their matches during the time. This continued until I played in the juniors and then the seniors, where I’ve been representing Nigeria at international tournaments.

You lost in the Men’s Singles of the CBN Open to the player you paired with in the Doubles, what happened?

I was not bothered after losing because I did not train too well and did not expect to get that far in the tournament. Maybe if I had trained well, I would have performed better to win the competition. The floor of the court was just painted, that affected me in some ways, but I don’t want to blame my loss on this.

What’s the challenges you are facing since you started playing tennis?

There are many challenges before now. Though I’m not where I ought to be now, I think I’m contented with what I have achieved. I thank God for my sponsor from Taraba State, who has been my source of help over the years.

Your role model in the game?

I like Roger Federer because he’s a great guy and my ideal player anytime anyday.

What’s your next plan now after the CBN Open?

I must confess, age is no longer on my side and there isn’t anything in Nigerian tennis that is so spectacular anymore, so I think the next thing is to quit tennis and go into other things. That I want to quit doesn’t mean now, but I’m trying to see how to stop playing the game because there isn’t anything to play for anymore.

How do you see the future of Nigerian tennis?

It’s unfortunate that things are so bad for the game in the country. We don’t have enough tournaments, the only international tourney we have is the Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis Championship. This is so bad for a game that we are supposed to be playing at least once in a month.

Tell us about your family.

My siblings are okay where they are but we’ve not been so lucky because we lost our parents. No father, no mother, so we’ve been struggling to take care of ourselves.