12th February, 2013
After watching helplessly as Nigerian tennis players were thrown out of the Governor’s Cup by their better-equipped foreign counterparts last year, it is yet to be seen, how the sport will return to its glorious days.
Local stars at the Governor’s Cup had tough times containing their African and European counterparts, a situation which they blamed on the dearth tournaments in the country.
Nigeria’s shining star at the competition, Henry Atseye, said that his countrymen did not do well not because the foreign players were exceptional, but because the foreigners were exposed to more tournaments than their Nigerian counterparts.
“I was injured at a point during the tournament, but if you look at the Japanese that I played in the second round of the first leg, Takueshi, he played better and looked more at ease with the racquet.
“We’ve been clamouring for international tournaments other than the Governor’s Cup in this country, but we never get that, even the local tourneys are regularly staged,” he told Tennis Special recently.
Such was the humiliation that Nigeria’s number one female player, Abinu Fatimah refused to speak on whether the sport can rise again.
She’d rather think of moving her life forward in other aspects outside tennis, although she conceded that if any tourney comes up, she would be willing to participate.
“I don’t know what the Nigeria Tennis Federation, NTF, is planning, all I know is that I’m planning to do some other things, definitely not in tennis, anyway,” Abinu said
There have been calls from many quarters to other state governors to organise Governor’s Cup just the way it is done in Lagos State, but it is yet to be seen if this will be the case in the nearest future.
Late Pa. Thompson Onibokun, in his last interview with Tennis Special before he died last year, said that the officials of the NTF have to explain what they have done about the state of tennis in the country.
The late tennis icon and enthusiast insisted that the NTF should be held accountable for Nigeria’s dismal performance at major international tennis championships.
“The NTF should explain to Nigerians what they are doing to enhance the growth of the game. They should tell us why they have failed in their responsibility to ensure that Nigeria does well at major tournaments like the Governor’s Cup,” the late septuagenarian said.
The President of the NTF, Engr. Sani Ndanusa, however, believes that the federation is in pole position to revive the dwindling fortunes of the sport as he noted that the federation has lined up some championships will the players busy are in the pipeline.
“We, at the federation, are committed to restore the lost the sport. I can assure you that all the local championships will be played this year,” the former Vice-President of the Confederation of Africa, CAT said.
—Damilare Okunola